The Legend of Zelda: Prince of the Sea
by FairMacbeth
Summary: Following the defeat of Ganondorf and the Twilight, Hyrule is once again at peace. However when strangers arrive at the Castle and threaten unbalance in the kingdom, Link embarks on an epic adventure to a foreign land to ensure the safety of Queen Zelda. As a hero Link must fight for what is right, even at the cost of his own desires. Follows the events of LoZ: Twilight Princess.
1. Chapter One: Ordon

Hey everybody!

**Please feel free to comment and fave for I promise that there is more to come!**

**Also, if you have any questions, feel free to post them in your review or PM me and I will answer them when I can and try to apply more info into future chapters!**

This story, LoZ: PotS, is rated M for detailed violence, suggestive themes, and language. Expect lengthy chapters with a lot of detail drawing not only from Twilight Princes, but also Ocarina of Time, Skyward Sword, among other tidbits of other games.

I plan on writing at least up to... Chapter 20? 30? Who knows! Expect action, violence, blood, rich fight scenes, death, and a lot more!

Please Note* If I missed any grammatical errors... I'll find them eventually. I do not own the Legend of Zelda.

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><p><em>'How do you return to a normal life after having accomplished and seen more things than anyone else who've ever known, things you never thought possible before?'<em>

This was only one question among the plethora of thoughts clouding the mind of the figure that was staring out across a grazed-upon field. Sprawled out this way and that his wards moseyed around idly, ignorant of his internal plight, and high above the vast, blue sky was dotted with white clouds. Absentmindedly picking at the grass, the young man sighed for the hundredth time before allowing his victimized blades to flutter away to freedom in the wind. His blue-eyed gaze fell to his left hand and there his pupils traced the triangular birthmark that distinguished him as someone important, someone who had a destiny, who was meant for great things. Yet here he was, leading an ordinary life, as an ordinary goat herder, in an ordinary village… even his clothes were ordinary.

Ordinary now, or rather again, but the young man's life wasn't always this quiet and Link was definitely having difficulty returning back to what he used to refer to as his whole world. But really, how many people have to essentially relearn how to take a bath without worrying about being ambushed by monsters? Link did apparently. Hell, the first time that a goat had escaped from the ranch and Link found himself in its path, he had stopped the beats with ease but had grappled with it so strongly, his expression dark, and tossed it aside so hard, that the animal was injured. Link had been deeply apologetic and horrified that he had hurt the goat, and Fado and Mayor Bo both had to calm him down and reassure him that it had been a mistake. Eventually, Link relented but what truly had scared him was that when the goat had charged, he swore it was a Bullbo, something evil and dangerous, and he had been intending to hurt it in order to protect the village, but it had been simply a goat. Goats weren't the only things Link had difficulty with. Currently his daily routine consisted of waking early, washing and dressing, making breakfast before heading out into the crisp morning air to tend to his silver bay mare, Epona, to head off to work: all were simple enough tasks but doing them all without looking over your shoulder for an approaching Poe or Bulblin constantly made them slightly stressful. Link had always taken his time with his truly noble steed, making sure she was properly groomed, her hooves cleaned, and that her mane and tail were combed. Perhaps taking his time was an overstatement because it seemed that more often than naught these days, no matter how early he awoke, Link was late to meet Fado up at the Ordon Ranch.

With each stroke of his grooming brush upon his horse, Link would sink deeper into his thoughts, into his dread, of having to face yet another mundane day, and he would lose track of time. It was no secret that he wasn't satisfied with his duties anymore, for the entire village knew it; behind their smiles and comfort, they knew that he was unhappy. In the beginning, when Link had first returned home adorned in heroic green, astride his mare, and his adventures and deeds swollen to idealized and grandiose levels by the village children whom he had saved, things seemed to be all right. Welcomed like the hero he was, Link's return home was overcast with an invisible shadow that hung over him and he quickly realized that no one would understand, even if he tried to explain it. There was just too much to tell and Link had never been good at talking, period. The villagers called him the 'Saviour of Hyrule,' as did the entire kingdom, but Link knew that he did not deserve all the credit.

His gratitude and smile satisfied most of them, the people whom Link had grown up with, but there were the few who could read that behind his blue eyes he was conflicted, hurt, and that there were things on his mind that he should talk about but wouldn't. It did not take long for Rusl, Link's mentor and practically surrogate father who had taken the young Hylian under his wing after his parents died, to pull Link aside in private.

"Link," he greeted, "I just wanted to, umm..." Rusl began but paused, the older man trying to find the words he had obviously practiced in saying, but his counterpart beat him to it.

"I know what you're going to ask, if I'm okay or something, but the truth is I really don't want to talk about it. Not just yet anyways". Link spoke softly, not meeting his mentor's eye but it was the truth, however vague it was.

Finally when Link did look up to smile at the master swordsman, who studied him thoughtfully, silent and clearly wanting to say more/ Rusl however only nodded in understanding, respecting the teenager's privacy and true to form he would not bring it up again. Rusl expressed his pride and wonderment towards Link, assuring him that he would always be welcomed at his home and that he would always be there if the younger man needed. That in itself Link appreciated more than words could describe.

There were, however, others who were not at placid as Rusl with Link's ambiguous responses of what was on his mind, namely Ilia. She had been one of the first to greet him when the village discovered he had returned. Speaking of his return, something strange happened when he had come back and he hadn't meant to do it. Link did not trot down into the centre of Ordon like he had imagined, announcing that he was home and that the evil threatening Hyrule had been vanquished, or something along those lines. Instead he went to his house on the outskirts of the village, unsaddled Epona, then headed up to his empty home. With the door closed behind him, Link just stood in the middle of the floor staring at familiar surroundings dully under twilight seeped into his windowpanes. Only then did he fall to his knees exhausted, shrugged off his Hylian shield and empty scabbard, before pulling off his forest green hat while the night's darkness enveloped him.

"Home sweet home…" he mumbled dryly and had half-awaited the snarky remark that had been his echo for the past few months.

When the response never came and the silence of his house seemed to mock him, Link thumbed the durable material of his hat and admired the stitching with his finger, wondering absently if the hat had any real useful function besides being awesome and very warm, which was not fun in Gerudo Desert. Removing himself from the floor, Link lit a couple of candles before heading towards his cellar to lock his heroic life away. Stowing away the Hero's Clothes, his shield, his belt, gauntlets, and everything else that identified him as the hero Hyrule now recognized as in a chest, Link shut the lid and tried to turn his back on his heroism. When the villagers and Ilia had come to his house the following morning, Link was dressed in his simple Ordon clothes, bearing no significance save for the mark of the Triforce upon his hand and the memories within his heart.

The moment he showed his face from his door, cheers and shouts of joy bombarded his ears and Link was nearly dragged down his ladder. Hands clasped his arms with pride, clamped him on the head and shoulders, and the villagers' infectious praises aroused a shy grin and blush within his cheeks. His chagrin only intensified when he found himself face to face with the girl who he had literally risked his life for, Ilia, who threw her arms around his neck and planted a not-so-subtle kiss upon his cheek, which only roused the villagers even more though with their cheering turning to chuckles and glances at the embarrassed mayor, the girl's father. The kiss for sure took Link by surprise, but what really took him aback was that he was not more excited for it, and all he did in response was give her an awkward hug.

Once all the hullabaloo had settled, after everyone had their share of his ear, smothered him with questions and gratitude for returning their children and of course after the grand feast that was held in his honour, did Ilia manage to drag Link aside to finally speak with him in private. How fitting it was that they found themselves at Ordon Spring, or maybe it was some sort of poetic ring composition. Among the pleasantly dancing waters, home of the Light Spirit Ordona, was where Link's entire adventure began. Ilia sat aside him on the sand, both looking at the scenery and listening to the bubbling spring, and after a few moments she spoke.

"Link. I do not know how I could ever thank you, for saving me and the others and for helping me restore my memories and all… It's been a while since I last saw you and, well I'm so happy that you're back now". Pausing she looked at him, met his eye, and smiled while blushing in the moonlight.

Rubbing the back of his neck, Link quickly broke eye contact, out of apparent shyness and said slowly, "Well, I had help," he said simply and was about to go on, but the sudden lump in his throat stopped him and he remained silent.

Ilia, catching is hesitation and perhaps interrupting it differently, reached over to take his hand and looking down, she continued, "I must admit, your bravery will become legendary, everyone knows that, and it's easy to see that just by looking at you. Even when I did not remember you, when I saw you, I felt, I knew that you were a hero". Biting her lower lip, Ilia struggled to find her words and giggled at herself to which Link smiled softly at but he took his hand from hers to idly toss a pebble into the waters of the spring.

"Ilia. A lot has happened during my travels, so much that really, I can't fathom it all looking back on it but, it's ah… going to take some time I think until I get used to everything again. I mean… I've been through a lot after all". That was as close as Link had wanted to get to the issue at hand and he had hoped that Ilia would understand like Rusl had, but she would not let him off that lightly.

Leaning closer, concern and perhaps slight hurt in her expression, Ilia began to ask, "What do you mean, Link? I can understand that you've been through more things than anyone here could comprehend. Hell, the things I've seen I'm sure are only a fraction of what you probably have, but why don't you tell me? I can help you, I'm sure I can… I mean we used to tell… I mean, we do tell each other everything, don't we?"

Link could not answer her, not this time, and his hesitation seemed enough to inform Ilia of that, although the sigh he heard from her made him frown with guilt. The guilt that he felt was not because Ilia was clearly disappointed that he would not open up to her, but more so due to the fact that he felt no heartache that he had disappointed her, and that confused him.

"I'm just asking for a bit of time, Ilia, okay? Just to figure things out. Please".

Looking up at her, Link caught the fleeting sight of his friend's frown before Ilia's expression changed to a smile and she nodded. Returning her smile was enough for the girl to reach over and hug him, whispering into his ear, "I am so glad that you're home, Link," and while Link hugged her back, he found himself thinking if he was as glad as she was.

That was almost five months ago now and during that time Link had indeed returned to his rustic routine and how he now found himself sitting on the grass of the goat pasture with Epona grazing a few feet away from him. He had been trying, he truly had, to move on and relax back into his life before monsters destroyed Ordon's pleasant and safe reality and brought the Twilight to the doorstep of the Ordona Province. The children of Ordon were kidnapped and Link had been imprisoned, though when he had awakened he found himself changed into a wolf, a form courtesy of the piece of the Triforce that resided in his hand that had protected him from the darkness of the Twilight Realm. It was as a wolf that he had met the person who was now a constant presence in his thoughts.

"And to think, I was her '_slave_' at the start," Link thought aloud, smirking at the memory. His musings were disturbed when the eighteen-year-old's attention turned to the sky to see a black spot against the vast azure, which he recognized to be the hawk that he knew he could summon with some Hawk Grass. The fact that he had heard the bird's call from such a far distance only gave more reason why the villagers worried about Link and perhaps slightly feared him. Having been able to transform into a wolf had been useful in situations and while Link had grown accustomed at being a four-legged beast, the transformation was only supposed to be when he came into contact with the Twilight. However, it would seem that the darkness had imprinted itself upon his soul and body.

Smells and sounds sometimes came upon Link's senses too strongly, occasionally resulting in him having to cover his ears while others look on in concern but unable to help him. Not disclosing what was wrong with him, the villagers had no explanation why Link would sometimes sniff the air or even growl. Rusl, worried over Link's well being but wanting to give the youth time to open up on his own, tried to quell his fellow villagers' concerns and reassure them that he was fine. In truth, how was Link supposed to explain himself anyways? How does someone tell others that there were times on his journey where he could turn into a wolf and that's actually how he managed to find the children and Ilia? Oh, and how he was also ridden by a magical imp who turned out to be the Twilight Princess?

"Midna," he whispered, watching the hawk soar before disappearing from sight. A breeze shifted his light brown hair and Link reached up and rubbed his eyes before lying back upon the ground with a grunt. Too many nights now since his return Link had been awoken by nightmares, riddled with monsters, or endless darkness drowning him, or the maniac figure of Zant, or the thunderous, dark chuckle of Ganondorf, which was the worst of all. No matter how hard Link fought, how many enemies he slew, his dreams always ended with Midna leaving his side and Link suddenly having to face all those evils by himself.

Never could Link forget the last time he saw her leaving this realm for her own and in her wake the Mirror of Twilight shattering, thus ending all connections between their worlds. His friend, who at first he couldn't stand but then grew to trust, was gone. After all they had went through, she just left, just like that, with a simple good-bye and then nothing. Link had been left standing aside the Princess Zelda, both in a state of shock and Link hadn't quite gotten over Midna leaving, knowing that he probably would never see her again. In the end, Link just really missed his friend and that was partly the reason why he couldn't sleep at night, why his thoughts brought with them such a sad expression to his face. When he thought about her, Link found it difficult to visualize Midna anything but the snarky imp he had developed a deep sense of trust and friendship with, while the tall beauty of a princess whom had said farewell to him seemed like a stranger. A close friend turned stranger...

"Link!"

Link's eyes snapped open and he bolted upright, unaware that he had begun to fall asleep, when he saw Fado waving at him. A glance at he sky revealed that the day was coming to an end and that the herd needed to be moved into the barn. Link raised his hand to acknowledge the other before standing to mount Epona. Taking the reigns in hand, Link made fast work of his farmhand duties and in no time, Fado was shutting the barn gates and dusting his hands upon his pants.

"Well now, Link! That's a fine job you did and I can't tell you how nice it is having you back, you know, you and all of the other children. I can say, life's back to normal, eh?"

"Yeah, it is, isn't it?"

Clapping Epona lightly on her rump, Fado grinned up at Link who nodded and smiled back before bidding the rancher goodnight and trotted out of the ranch. Descending the hill into the main layout of Ordon village, Link slowed his mount to a walk and here and there he raised his hand in greeting or gave a nod, but did not stop for a chat and no one tried to have one with him. It had taken a couple of months but eventually everyone realized that Link wanted space. Even Colin, Malo, and the other children didn't come by his house as often as they had before. While he hadn't intentionally wanted to push everyone away, that's what had been happening and as much as Link tried to vouch for his reasons, he found more often than not that he liked it this way.

The hero preferred not to be bothered and a lot of his alone time was spent practicing his swordsmanship with a Hylian blade Princess Zelda had given to him, among other titles and honours. After months of training with it, the sword still felt awkward in his hand, a dull piece of steel rather then the pulsing extension of his arm of evil's bane which was the Master Sword. The sword of legend he had returned to the ruined Temple of Time, advised by the princess, for his adventures and need of it ought to have been over. Still, he was the Hero Chosen by the Gods and only he could wield the legendary blade, meaning any other felt just wrong in his grip.

One afternoon not long after he had returned to Ordon, Link had been practising with the Hylian sword and was intent on seeing the death of a frail scarecrow, but every swing of the sword felt wrong and spurred the boy's anger. With every slice, strike, slash, and swing, Link's expression darkened with fury, his mouth shifted into a snarl of annoyance, and his eyes blazed with impatience and irritation. With one final slash and a mighty yell, Link succeeded in hewing his target in two at the waist and breathing heavily, the hero watched his foe fall. The damned scarecrow mocked him, even when it was splinters on the forest floor, its faceless head stared at him and Link recoiled when a maniacal laughter filled his head. Link gasped, dropped his sword, and fell to his knees with his hands tightly covering his ears, eyes shut tight. With his pulse thundering in his ears, the cackling soon died away and Link coughed and sputtered when he was free of the memory of the tall, dark figure of Ganondorf. The dark king plagued Link's nightmares and from lack of sleep tearing down at the hero's senses, was also beginning to invade his waking hours as well. Heaving breaths shook Link's body and a deep growls rumbled from his chest while he weakly gripped for the scarecrow's head and numbly beat it with his fist.

"It's over, it's over," he mumbled again and again, angrily punching at the straw-filled sack that was the scarecrow's head. "I'm not a wolf! I'm not Hyrule's hero anymore! I'm just..."

Just an ordinary farm boy.

Pausing with his punches Link stayed like that, kneeling on the ground with his head hanging low almost as if he were in mourning for the murder he had just committed of a simple scarecrow, angry tears rolling rebelliously down his face. Eventually he stopped shaking and was able to take a deep breath and collect his wits back together again, but failed to find a reason to move from that spot. Why? Why should he get up? To do what? For the first time in months, Link didn't know what to do next and he was tired of expecting Midna to appear and smack him while she ordered that he get going. Midna was gone, she had got what she wanted, had broken the curse on her, and had helped Link stop Ganondorf. Midna had left to get on with her own life so why couldn't Link? Why couldn't he shake the feeling that he was uncomfortable in the one place in all of Hyrule that he called home?

"Why can't things be like the way they were before?"

It wasn't until he felt a nudge on his back did a spark of life appear back in his eyes and Link turned to see Epona's majestic head looming over him that gave the Hylian the strength to stand. Letting the sack-of-a-head roll from his lap, Link got up, dusted off his pants, and wrapped his arms around his mare's neck to bury his face into her mane.

"What's the matter with me?" he had muttered to her, but Epona had given him no answer that day.

Riding up the small hill, Link finally came into sight of his house and he stared up at the dwelling with an indifferent expression, daring even a glance at the fallen figure of the scarecrow that had remained untouched since its murder months before. Typically, after a day's work a man would be glad to return home to eat and rest but Link simply followed the motions of dismounting from his horse and unsaddling her, his motions stiff and mechanical while his thoughts whirled.

Nowadays if he wasn't practicing with his sword, or busying himself with Epona, or some other mundane task, Link found himself to be anxious, restless, paranoid at sounds, and tense, though he tried to hide it form the rest of the villagers. His adventures had not only transformed him into a wolf but also into a warrior, a hero nevertheless, and as Link unsaddled Epona he knew that he was living a lie. Whoever heard of a hero truly retiring to a mundane life of concord? A hero never lost his sense of guard, sense of morality and of justice, and herding goats wasn't really that brave or trying. It did not matter how much he tried or how much time he afforded, but Link was simply no longer just a farmhand. He had seen too much, done too much, and now he was finding that the life he used to yearn for back when he first began his adventures held no comfort nor lustre for him.

"Some things, you just can't change," he mumbled, stroking his horse's neck until she bumped him with her nose in affection. Link had raised Epona since she had been a yearling, a fine though spirited young filly, but with time, patience, and a lot of bruises did Link managed to gain her trust. The mare was about four now, healthy and young, and Link had considered in the past breeding her knowing that she would make a good mother and any offspring she bore would make fine mounts, but his recent role as a hero had but an end to that idea. The teen trusted the horse with his life and he had relied on her plenty of times as of late to carry him to safety and breeding her would put an end to that. Call him selfish, but now that he has lost Midna, Link didn't want to lose Epona either, if you could call her foaling as losing her.

But what was he saying? Change happened all the time! Link had just found himself in a rut in his life and was being pessimistic, a quality uncommon to his usual nature. Frowning and letting his head sink, Link dramatically fell over when Epona nudged him, causing the mare to snort and sniff at her fallen master in the tall grass at her feet. Eyes closed, Link remained as still as he could while he fought against reacting to the tickling ability of Epona's soft muzzle, the horse's lips smacking on his cheek and his nose was in danger of being nipped. Peeking a blue eye open, Link met his mare's big and bright, brown eye and a chuckle bubbled past his lips when she blinked at him.

"I'm fine," he told her, reaching up to obediently respond to her call for affection. "Yeah, I'm fine..." he repeated, his tone lower and his smile faded.

That wasn't true. Hell, sometimes Link wasn't even sure what was real anymore. Occasionally when he was out in the goat field, lounging in the grass like he had been today, he had to ask himself if Midna was actually real, if the Master Sword, Ganondorf, and everything else that had happened. He had come full circle, from simple farmhand to hero and back again, and it was only the faint birthmark of the Triforce upon his left hand that was a physical reminder that it had been real. Shifting in the tall grass, Link continued to idly scratch Epona's neck while she pleasantly began munching on the grass. From his vantage point, Link didn't have much of a view of the sky but from what he could see, the creeping, rosy tendrils of sunset slowly taint the rich blue of the day. He had to get up, get things done like grooming Epona, giving her hay, and getting inside to eat himself, but by the goddesses, that did not sound exciting at all.

Relenting to his inner sense of responsibility, the teen sat up, grass in his hair, that Epona happily helped him remove with a tugging pull of her lips on his light brown hair. Chucking again, Link gently shoved her aside and stood, smoothing his wild locks and set to work. Grooming Epona thoroughly before leaving the mare to her hay, Link climbed up to his house to begin the monotonous routine of lighting his hearth's fire and readying his meal before heading to bed.

Retrieving his tinder cloth and flint, Link knelt before the hearth and built up his kindling. Just as he was about to strike his steel and flint, a knock came upon his door and the Hylian looked up from where he was kneeling before his hearth in surprise.

"Who is it?"

"Link, it's me".

Hearing Ilia's voice caused the young man to momentarily frown. Recently, he found himself slightly avoiding the girl, who had done him justice as his friend by having not barraged him with questions, but had made it clear that her feelings for him were more than friendship. This Link already knew and for a long time had hoped for, though given these past few months, he found that while he could kiss her, which happened on occasion now, he did not think of her as he once had. Getting up and walking to the door, he unlatched it to reveal Ilia's smile, to which he returned. Standing aside, he allowed her to come in and shutting the door, the youth barely had the latch closed before he found himself in an embrace.

"Ilia? Ah, how are you?" he said in surprise before trying to sound casual and gently settling his hands upon her back.

"Fine," she replied shortly, "Link, we need to talk".

"Oh," he breathed, feeling his dread stir within his chest. "What do you mean ta-"

Link was cut off by soft fingers to his lips and, confused, followed Ilia when she led him to sit before the cold hearth. Picking up the flint and steel he had left on the floor, Ilia began striking the metal to spark the tinder cloth as she spoke, "These past five months I have been nothing but patient with you, I think anyways. I've tried to be there for you when you need me and I admit that I'm happy to be with you. But, Link, I can't... I can't stand it anymore". Pausing to blow on her small flame, Ilia continued once smoke began to bellow signalling the life of a new fire, looking at Link with an expression that used to make him flinch. "I can't stand the waiting, the silence, the dismissal you seem to give the entire village these days without actually doing anything. I mean, what on earth could have happened to you to become so distant and why won't you talk to me?"

The more Ilia spoke, the more frantic and angry her tone became until her was gazing at Link with desperate, angry eyes. It was clear that she had been bottling these words up for a while and they had come out in sort of a heated rush. Wetting his lips, Link looked away from her only to have his cheeks taken and forcefully turned to face her.

"No, you will look at me, and I want answers, Link! Just… please, let me in, let me help you! Please, just give me a reason not to worry because I can't help this feeling in the pit of my stomach that you're going to leave." The end of her sentence was barely louder than a whisper and filled with a storage of insecurity and worry.

"Ilia," he began slowly, trying to find the words, "We've talked about this before, I just need time, okay? I went through a lot and still don't know if I want to talk about it all. I don't think I'm asking for a lot with that".

Ilia frowned and sighed. "I know," she relented, "I just... I just want to help you but how can I when you won't let me in? You won't let anyone in and I'm sorry to say but if you haven't noticed, the entire village is worried too, Link".

"I know," Link mumbled, reaching up to reach the back of his neck, trying not to get annoyed about this entire conversation. He could understand Ilia's feelings and appreciated her concern, but fuck! He didn't want to deal with this sort of thing, not now anyways. That small voice at the back of his mind argued that if not now, then when? How was it fair to keep Ilia in the dark when it was clear she wanted to know more and help him?

"Ilia," he began, but was quickly cut off because apparently, Ilia wasn't done.

"Oh, and then there's the whole... Well, I don't even know what to call it, but sometimes the way you act..." Ilia clearly was stumbling to find the right words and it was then that Link was starting to get annoyed because he knew very well what she was referring to.

"What?" He pushed, arching a brow somewhat critically.

Ilia, her expression hardening to match his, lifted her chin and in a steady tone said, "Sometimes you act like a dog or something. People are talking, Link. You've been heard growling, people swear that they hear howling from your house at night, and more than once Sera has seen you talking to her cat, as in conversation wise". Crossing her arms Ilia leaned forward, forcing Link to sit back and in a louder tone the young woman continued, "I mean what the hell is up with that, Link? And why the hell can't you tell me? I want to understand but you sure are making it difficult to be with..."

Ilia faded to silence, her eyes narrowed dangerously and her lips quivered but Link, being as oblivious as he could sometimes be, failed to see that his friend was only trying to hold back her tears so when he spoke, anger burned in his voice.

"What? Difficult to be with me? Well sorry to burst your bubble, Ilia, but perhaps it's those very reasons that I don't want to talk about it because look how you react! Why in all of Hyrule would you want to be with me if-"

Without warning or given any chance of time for Link to finish his tirade, Ilia leaned forward and forcefully pressed her lips upon his. Taking only a moment to react, Link kissed back like he usually did, enjoying the taste of her lips, with as equal passion as she was giving him and wrapping his arms hungrily around her, he hoped. Link hoped that he would once again feel something for her that resembled what he used to, like before when he was nothing more than a farmhand. Did he enjoy brooding and being as vague as Ilia accused him of being? Not entirely, there was a part of him that wanted to be normal again but call that wishful thinking. Still, he had been trying and if that entailed deepening his kissing as Ilia gently pushed him onto his back to near straddle him, then so be it. Ironic though, him baring the Triforce of Courage, he couldn't even confess up to his best friend that he didn't love her anymore. Link knew that he was being cowardly, leading Ilia on with the way he was kissing her now, but not wanting to tell her that more often than naught, it was for the physical connection and not the emotional; kissing Ilia, helped him forget his own troubles and if he told her that, he'd probably hate him for it.

_'I probably would have told Midna,'_ he thought in spite of his current situation, causing him to pause, but Ilia only responded by caressing his cheek to coax him back into her rhythm.

The heat of the growing fire in the hearth mirrored the heat Link felt in his body, his masculinity responding to Ilia's lips. His hands slid to her hips to gently hold her as hers caressed his face, a bit strongly if his mind cared to think about it. The first time their lips met was probably around a month after he had returned. In those early days, Link had found himself greatly struggling to return to rustic tasks like being still to watch the goats, fishing, or even carry on a conversation, not that he was great at that in the first place. The children barraged him with questions and begged of him to show him his skills and his various items, but when it came to their inquiries of his quest Link only gave fragments, half-answers. Link's first kiss with Ilia had slightly been a mistake because she had been asking him questions, even though he had asked her not to, but when she wouldn't take no for an answer he had just kissed her.

It just happened, he hadn't intended it but just when Link had tried to pull away, Ilia had thrown her arms around him to deepen the kiss and... Link followed suit. Their tender kissing eventually intensified and their endeavours had lengthened to full make-out sessions and it was all very nice, satisfying even. Link enjoyed feeling Ilia so close, the warmth of her skin. Many times he reasoned this was so because of how he felt for Ilia but then there was the small voice that suggested that he enjoyed simply for the escape, the company of a woman and nothing else.

A small moan escaped his throat that turned into a growl when he felt her hand at his waist's sash, he instinctively grabbed her hand back. Their kiss ended with a gasp as Ilia jerked back in surprise to look down at him, confused and slightly worried.

"What are you doing?" he asked, panting, his tone light but the question held weight. He hoped she wouldn't bring up the fact that he growled while knowing full well that it was the reason she had stopped kissing him. Well, that reason and the fact that she had tried to undo his pants.

"What do you mean?" she answered, glancing at his hand firmly upon her wrist while a deep blush bloomed in her cheeks and her eyes twitched with shyness.

Catching her glance, the heat within him dulled and he quickly released his grip on her arm, though Link looked up at her with growing suspicion. "Ilia? I think you know what I mean," he said slowly.

"Well..." she began, before shrugging slightly, "Why not?"

Sighing, Link shook his head. "No, Ilia, not like this…"

"What do you mean no?" Her response ringed with slight annoyance and perhaps panic but Link was aware that they were both thinking the same thing, or at least he hoped so.

Letting go of her hand, the Hylian leaned up on his forearm to better look up at Ilia as he said, "I mean, this! What are we doing here? We were just arguing and you're mad and this isn't what you want, is it?"

His question almost came out like an accusation and Link regretted his words when he saw the hurt and embarrassment flash across his friend's face. Frantically she looked around, wetting her lips, before quickly wrapping her arms around his neck so tightly he gasped in surprise.

"Wh-what am I doing here?" she repeated into his, sounding slightly unsure herself, "Link, you stupid idiot, can't you see that I love you? Please, please don't leave!"

The hero's eyes grew wide from shock and lack of oxygen and he froze. Once upon a time, not too long ago sadly, he would have been over the moon, thanking the goddesses upon hearing Ilia say those words, but now all he could focus on was shifting slightly so he could breathe better in the girl's grasp. He could feel her shaking, desperate and afraid, and naturally he wrapped his arms around her to try and soothe her, though he knew that what he had to say would procure the exact opposite. It was time to be a hero and make the hard but right choice.

"Ilia. I don't think us getting... are you just saying that so I won't leave?" he asked softly.

"Then you are leaving".

Her reply came quick, full of knowing and full of sadness, and Link felt her composure sink a bit as the reality in her words weighed down. However, the Hylian had an inkling that what Ilia really wanted to say was to confirm that he didn't love her, rather then him leaving. Frowning, Link sighed, knowing he would never be able to say that to her but he did love her, though not like she felt towards him. Stroking the back of her hair and opened his lips to speak after he felt her hands on his back.

"Yes," he said simply, being more honest to her in that single word than he probably had been the past months and the word answered more than he wanted to think about.

"For how long?" she mumbled into his hair numbly, her back tense with suppressed sobs.

"I don't know…"

"Will you ever come back?"

Her question brought Ilia back to face him, her eyes brimming with tears that Link realized probably weren't the first she had shed for him concerning this. Reaching up, the man caressed her cheek for a second before whispering, "I… don't know".

Wiping back her tears, Ilia looked away, taking in a breath to try and remain strong, before slowly placing both her hands upon Link's chest, adjusting her position on his lap. When she spoke next, her words were quiet and faint, as if she had spoken them a hundred times so that now they barely held any meaning.

"Do you love me?"

She had said it, dragged it out in the open, and Link wished she hadn't. Pain flashed across his face but he could not lie to himself or especially to her, she deserved more then that after all. "Ilia," he breathed, unsure where to put his hands so he brought one to raise her chin to make her look at him.

The loud slap that suddenly bit his cheek was indication enough that he had her attention. Blinking, the Hylian resisted the urge to rub the sting from Ilia's hand and his guilt deepened when her sobs intensified. "Why not, Link? You save me, you kiss me, but you don't feel anything for me? I thought you did, or hoped you did. You-"She would have gone on Link was sure if her sobbing hadn't stolen her capacity for words.

"I think that… for a long time I loved you, Ilia". Link finally said, taking her face with her face to hold her close. "Perhaps I didn't fully know it myself, or maybe I was too afraid to say it out loud, or maybe it was both, but I have always cared very much about you, I hope you know that." Retrieving his handkerchief from his pocket, the young man tried to help dry her tears but she swatted him away, leaving him only to continue. "Then you were taken and I felt like my heart had been ripped from my chest and I knew that I would do anything, give anything, to save you. But, when I found you, Ilia in Hyrule Town, you did not know me. I found the pain of knowing that I may never get the chance to tell you how I felt almost overwhelming, that I had lost my chance".

Taking a moment to pause because his own voice was beginning to crack, Link took a deep breath and closed his eyes, feeling the pricks of tears but he could no stop the truth from his lips even if he wanted to. "I fought hard and many enemies to ensure your safety and that of everyone else until I realized that I was fighting for my life, both literally and figuratively I guess. You, Beth, Colin, Malo, and Talo, you all mean so much to me and you all are apart of my life here in Ordon. I… err, I mean… when you regained your memory, it was as if I suddenly got my life back! I was so happy and for a moment it felt that all I had fought for was finally over, because I had been fighting for you most of all. I wanted to tell you how I felt but even then I couldn't find the words".

Ilia hiccupped a tiny smile and dabbed away at her eyes, giving Link a moment to collect himself, his voice changing into a more serious tone. "But it wasn't over, Ilia, the fighting, and I fear that it will never truly be over. I had more to do and the more I did the more I realized that… I could never go back to my old life, never return to being carefree or settle down, not in Ordon anyway or…"

"Not with me". Ilia finished Link's sentence and she looked at him with heavy eyes and it was all Link could do but return her gaze, owning up to his words and his resolve.

Swallowing, Link stumbled finally with his words, unsure how to go on from there, but ended up on the truth which as he said it, sounded so unfair but Ilia had the right to hear it. "I thought if I tried to go back to my life in Ordon that I could forget how to be hero, that if I kissed you like how I used to dream about, that I wouldn't want to fight but, I know if I stay here I would be living a lie. Ilia, I tried, for you, I tried but..."

Any other words Link could think of he knew would only hurt her more, make her cry, and make him look more like a selfish ass and he didn't know how to apologize or make her understand, though he knew that he had no right to try to make her. Hell, Link wouldn't blame Ilia if she never wanted to speak or see him again after this. The boy was saved from speaking when Ilia suddenly planted a soft kiss upon his lips, much to his surprise.

"Wherever you go, Link, know that to me you will always be my hero and my best friend and for that reason alone, I will always love you. I just… hope that you won't totally forget me or your old life when you leave".

Her words were breathed upon his lips lightly and delicately, but they struck his heart like arrows and Link felt like she was banishing him. Before he could respond or stop her, Ilia stood from his lap and made her way towards the door. "Ilia!" Link called, causing her to pause though she didn't look back and after a moment Link said in a low tone, "I'm sorry. I… "

She did not allow his to finish as he was cut off by the slam of his door and Link did not go after her. Instead, Link sat there facing his hearth, the taste of Ilia's tears still on his lips, with a growing sense of restlessness within his chest. It felt as though a curtain had been pulled away from his mind and with it a number of questions that had remained unanswered disappeared and it became clear to Link of what he must do from then on and what path he must take.

In the morning, Link would say his farewells and leave Ordon to set out once again in the wide world to begin his life as a hero of Hyrule and discover the reason why he had just broken Ilia's heart.


	2. Chapter Two: Time

The creaks and groans of the rope bridge over the chasm that marked the border of Ordon heralded the departure of Link, who hung his head in thought and let Epona find her own pace. The morning was clear and bright, though clouds in the distance whispered rain into the breeze. Link would have liked to have left an hour earlier but he had been… held up. Adjusting his seat as his mare acrossed the threshold of the bridge onto the stone of the path of the other side, the Hylian casted a glance back towards the way he came, towards Ordon, and he furrowed his brow slightly at what had just taken place minutes before.

After Ilia had left him, Link had sat before his burning hearth well into the night, having forgotten his intention of a supper and his thoughts were too loud for him to even try to think about sleep. Instead, he sat there, occasionally poking at the flames, and weighed his options. He couldn't stay in Ordon any longer, what had happened in Ilia had made that clear. At the same time, however, Link wanted to make sure that if he in fact left that he wouldn't be doing so just because he had made things majorly awkward between them. The teenager did not want to stay simply because the village was where he'd grown up and was familiar. Many times during the night, Link found his eyes gazing around his home, watching the fire's shadows flicked across the walls and memories of his parents peeked into his mind.

Being eighteen now, his birthday having been a couple of months ago, meant that it had been over eleven years since Link's parents died, leaving him an orphan at the young age of seven. Thankfully Link hadn't witnessed his parents' death, but often he thought that having to wait for them to return home was worse. They never did, well they did eventually, but Link wasn't even allowed to see their faces one last time because of their caskets. The boy had been told what had happened, that they had drowned while returning from a delivery trip of Ordon Goat Cheese. Link and his family had actually owned Ordon Ranch and Fado had simply been a farmhand at that time. When the boy's parent's died, Fado had bought the ranch to continue the business. No one is sure exactly what happened. The bodies of the couple had been found floating in Lake Hylia by the Zora and whether foul play had been involved or not has never resolved. There had been just too little evidence and no motive.

Their wagon was unmolested, no money nor goods taken, nor the family's old grey gelding stolen, so no investigation took place and Link had to bury his parents with no answers to his questions. After the funeral, Link hated his house, which had been all his life so warm and so safe, for it had suddenly turned cold and far too large. Thankfully he hadn't needed to worry about being alone in that house for long because Rusl, a long-time friend of Link's father, had invited the orphaned boy into his home and would not take no as an answer. At first, as was expected, Link had retreated into himself, angry at the world, but slowly Rusl was able to take him under his wing. The man introduced the boy to the practice and study of swordsmanship. The focus required from the teachings was what the distraught boy had needed, it distracted his grieving, and rather then brood he divided his time to practicing with his wooden sword and helping Fado at the ranch.

For three years Link lived with Rusl and during that time, he didn't return to his home once. The boy learned how to be happy again and live without his parents thanks to Rusl and the support of the entire village. When Link was ten, just when it seemed to him that his life had perhaps returned to normal, everything changed once again. Uli, Rusl's wife, became pregnant, a joyous occasion without a doubt, but the prospect of a baby in the household brought Link into perspective that he needed to leave. Uli herself tried to reason with him, she had always been so kind to him, but Link had made up his mind and right before Colin was born, he returned to his family's home on the outskirts of the village.

Link had expected to be met with cobwebs and mounds of dust, but when he had finally ascended the ladder and entered the doorway, he found the house spotless much to his surprise. As it seemed, Rusl had taken it upon himself to see that his friend's home was clean and maintained, as if he had known that one day Link would need his home back when he was ready. Being back in his own home had been difficult at first, the lonely nights weighing heavily at first, but the Hylian boy grew and steadily the darkness turned from frightening to comforting. Rusl still looked out for him of course, even helping Link buy a yearling filly when he was fourteen and his old grey gelding passed away. That horse Link had tamed and trained himself and now he trusted his life with her to carry him even against the most formidable foes.

Link knew that he owed Rusl a lot and sitting aside his hearth he came to realize that he needed to tell the man as much. However, having never been a conversation enthusiast, in the midst of the night Link gathered some paper and set his quill in ink to express the words. He wrote of his gratitude, of his adventures with Midna, his reasons for leaving, and at the end of his lengthy letters he left an inheritance. It seemed only fitting, in Link's eyes anyway, that since he was leaving and had no knowledge when he would return, that if he wanted it Colin could have his home. The younger boy was the closest person Link had to a brother and it just felt right to him knowing that just in case he never came back, that he could give Colin something that meant a lot to him and the home where he had lived with his parents was just that.

Only when Link finished his series of letters did he manage to get some rest. Only a few hours did daybreak wake him and roused his excitement, sending him bounding from his blankets. After months of being shut away, Link descended into his cellar to open the chest that bellied his own inheritance of heroism. Bringing the contents upstairs and into the morning light, with reminiscence and a snarky giggle in his mind, Link once again donned the garments of a hero. He shouldered his shield and hung the elaborate, though empty, scabbard upon his back, choosing rather to hang his Hylian blade at his right hip. Lastly, Link pulled on his green hat and while adjusting his gauntlets, felt whole for the first time in months. It hadn't occurred to him exactly how much he had been feeling that something was missing, that there was a piece of him gone, but being back in the Hero's Clothes the Hylian felt as though he could breath just a bit easier.

Eating a quick morning meal, Link wasted no time in gathering together supplies, saddled Epona, and began to pack his saddlebags. Entering his home to grab a few more items, the man was on his way out when he paused to gaze around the house, to take it all in. He didn't know when or even if he'd ever seen the place again but he turned his back on the space, exited the door, and locked it behind him. He went back over to Epona, preoccupied with slipping his house key into the envelope addressed to Rusl to notice when eyes came upon him. Thanks mainly to Epona's nicker and the growing sound of talking, did Link turn to see Rusl, Colin, and hell, the entire village ascend the small hill to his house. Feeling a blush in his cheeks and absentmindedly reaching up to adjust his hat, Link took up his mare's reigns and lead her forward to meet his friends, who all had eyes on him.

"Were you just going to leave without saying goodbye?" Rusl asked with an arch of his brow, a small smile on his lips.

"Ah, no! Of course not… I was going to come and do just that right away, when I finished packing". Link's words came with a smile in return, a tone of bashfulness to accompany, and he hoped that Rusl wouldn't comment on how they both knew that him saying farewell might not have happened.

The next hour was filled with hugs, wishes of luck, and complaints and whines that he stay. The complaints came mainly from the children for the adults seemed to understand his decision to leave. Still, everyone was offering Link smiles with words of encouragement, though there were some tears shed but it was a tender sadness. In fact, there was not an expression of resentment or anger in the crowd, though Link understood why Ilia wouldn't want to be there. It still hurt that he wouldn't see her after last night, but he thought it would be a bad idea to go and find her. His main indication of this was when he happened to ask her father about where she was and Mayer Bo just shrugged and shook his head, casting Link a questioning eye but said no more on the matter.

Eventually Link was able to lead Epona towards Ordon Spring and gave the Ordonians one final wave, only coming forward to formally shake Rusl's hand and give him the letters with the key. Giving the man a hug, Link told him, "Thank-you," one more time before stepping away. Mounting his horse, Link gave no more waves and spurred his mare into a happy trot in the wake of farewells and cheers. As he rode from sight, Link's mind became heavy with thoughts and by the time he came to the rope bridge, his smile was gone. When he turned back to look one last time, his brow furrowed in thought, Link blinked to see a lone figure standing there watching him by the entrance of the spring. Before he could reign in Epona or do anything really, Ilia turned her back on him and disappeared from sight and Link left the Ordona Province.

The growing humidity gave birth to whispering mists among the trees of Faron Woods and the onslaught of rain drew closer with each step Epona took. Link lightly guided her down the paths, his left hand flexed in preparation to draw the sword at his hip in case any monster dare threaten his horse. Aside from a crow that slightly spooked his mount the ride proceeded without conflict. He continued at a leisurely pace that in no way at all reflected his desire to surge onwards, but Link recognized the need to go slow because he still had not completely decided on where he was headed. Was that responsible? Perhaps not, but Link would admit that by simply being back on the move made him feel much better. That in itself said a lot he thought anyway.

Soon enough Link found himself at a crossroads and he allowed Epona to naturally head towards where Coro lived with his wares. The silver bay suddenly came to a halt before the gate that lead to Faron Swamp. Head held high and ears perked forward, the mare snorted towards the direction of the cave and stamped her hoof in restlessness; it was enough to shake Link from his mind and he frowned.

"Epona? What's the matter?"

Following his mare's line of sight, the Hylian stared towards the gate knowing full-well what lay beyond there but was confused as to why his horse was on alert. Obviously she could hear or sense something he could not and that was enough for him to reach over and draw his Hylian blade. The gate and entrance of the cave looked no different then when he had last seen them, when he had come through them to replace the Master Sword. As soon as he thought of the legendary blade did a breeze blow directly from the cave to brush against his bangs and ears, and Link heard a word among the winds.

_Link…_

Epona whinnied and danced in place, snorting in warning and anticipation, and Link quickly dismounted with a back flip off her. Grunting from the impact from not having done that maneuver in a while, he advanced forwards towards the gate.

"I'll be right back, girl," he muttered to his horse, who kept her eyes and ears upon the cave.

Removing his shield from his back, Link proceeded forward with caution, expression focused but there lay a gleam of delight in his eyes to be back in the fray and his grip upon his sword twitched with keenness. Walking through the gate, the hero stopped before the cave and second-guessed himself, wondering if it had just in fact been the wind he had heard and that he should just keep going towards Hyrule Field. Around him the trees groaned as the wind picked up from the approaching storm and shifted direction, sending a draft from behind the man with a high whistle as it blew through the cave.

_Link…_

"The wind's pulling me in," he thought aloud, before a smirk spread his lips and he walked forward.

Inside the cave was nothing out of the usual and having traversed it so many times, Link didn't even need to light his lantern and was in no time exiting it into Faron Swamp. Wrinkling his nose at the poisonous gases that hung on the lower ground, a gift left from the Twilight, an surveillance of his surroundings announced that nothing seemed to be out of place or different. Walking forward, Link came to the ledge that made his legs tighten, having many times before leapt across those gases as a wolf and the eighteen-year-old frowned when he found that he had the urge to get down on all fours and jump.

_Link…_

"This was a lot easier with Midna and we could warp places…" he said with a sigh when once again he heard his name on the wind, beckoning him forward. "I really hope there isn't just some bird calling my name and leading me around in circles on a wild-Cucco chase," he finished with a grumble before lighting his lantern and plunging into the gases.

/ / / / /

By the time Link finally entered North Faron Woods, the rain was beginning to sputter and drip down from the high treetops and the hero knew that he couldn't remain too long out there and leave Epona by herself. The rain had never bothered him and more than once while in Ordon he would go out for walks in the rain to think and listen to the thunder. He found it soothing, relaxing, but in the past few months the rain also brought back memories and images of a looming castle shrouded in mist with low hanging, grey clouds hiding its high peaks. Most people found the rain to be sad but Link had always seen it as beautiful, a sign of nature replenishing itself. Taking a deep breath of the cool, rainy air Link started forward but only made it a few feet before he stopped.

"Now what?" he asked… the wind? Himself? Who knew at that point, but he really didn't have a clue what he was doing out there.

Rolling his eyes, Link slid his sword back into its sheath, replaced his Hylian shield on his back, and stretched his arms with a slight grunt. Before him lay two routes, one easy the other… slightly more difficult. The Forest Temple lay at the end of a winding path within a massive a tree, but Link could think of no reason of why he would need to re-enter that temple since he had already conquered it; thus, it was the easier route. Coming to the place where he had first met the Golden Wolf, Link scrutinized the gigantic tree of the temple before looking over to the obscure path that lead to a depth of the woods that few had ever entered.

"I wonder…"

Retrieving the pair of Clawshots from one of his magical poaches that seemed to be able to hold near anything, Link ascended the great stump at the side of the path that lead to the temple. Glancing at the mechanisms on his hands, Link frowned slightly before looking out across the set of natural platforms that he knew he could use to cross the Deep Gorge. In the past, he had crossed the abyss as a wolf and then used Rusl's Golden Cucco, but seeing as neither was accessible at the moment the Clawshots were all Link had at his disposal. He knew he could get across, he had just done it five months ago, but aside from retrieving the Master Sword he could not think why he would need to reach the Sacred Grove again. Queen Zelda had made a point of telling him to return the sword because, while Link personally felt entitled to the blade seeing as how only he could wield it, the legendary sword was not his to own.

_Link…_

The hero narrowed his eyes in annoyance, raised his left arm to aim, and then fired. Minutes later, Link landed on solid ground with the Deep Gorge at his back and continued onward. The further he walked, the more Link recalled memories of his adventures. Retracing his steps, he recalled walking past that spring as a wolf, battling against the Skull Kid with Midna, and followed his memory until he slid down a slope to enter what was known as the Sacred Grove. True to its name, the wood had a clean air about it and seemed to never lose its brilliant and bright green canopy. Passing parts of the ruins of the Temple of Time, Link idly slid his fingers across the ancient stones. Crossing his arms, Link let his eyes wonder to the ruined stairwell, the Door of Time, and he came to a stop before the symbol of the Triforce on the floor in the main chamber of the temple.

Tracing the triangles with his eyes, Link stared thoughtfully at the symbol, trying hard not to glance at the back of his left hand, and in a whisper he said, "What must I do now?"

A howl jolted him from his thoughts and upon instinct, the Hylian back flipped and simultaneously drew his blade to land in a defensive crouch before retrieving his shied. The howl had been close and its echo momentarily filled the ruins with a voice and Link bit his tongue at the urge to howl in response. Grimacing and shaking his head, he muttered over and over in his head that he was human, no longer a wolf, and for all he knew it could be a Wolfos. Even if he had yet to actually see one in Faron Woods, Link did not want to give out his position to any beast by howling like a moron. Well, one thing he knew for sure: the howl had come from beyond the main body of the temple in the chamber of the Master Sword. Rage coaxed a deep growl from Link's sneer at the thought that a Wolfos might be in the sacred chamber and he propelled himself forward. Ascending the stairs two at a time, Link burst into the sacred grove with his sword at the ready, prepared for a sudden attack or ambush, with an expression and entire body focused for battle.

What sat waiting for him Link had not anticipated nor expected at all and it caught him completely off guard. The hero faltered in his footing, tried to regain his balance, but crashed headfirst onto the ground with his sword skittering away.

"Oh, fuck me…" Link cursed with a groan, shifting onto his knees and held his head in his hands, his hat slipping off the ground.

A rumble of growls echoed in the overgrown chamber and Link looked up in irritation and embarrassment at the Golden Wolf that sat calmly on the other side of the Master Sword. Even if Link hadn't been a wolf before, he would have recognized that his ancient mentor was laughing at him. Standing without trying to flinch, Link shook his head and dusted himself off before grabbing his hat to jam it back onto his head; he made a point not to look at the ethereal wolf. Presentable once again Link met eyes, or rather eye, with the shining beast and the young man raised a brow and opened his mouth to speak but hesitated, unsure.

"Wait, hold on. I thought… I thought that you were, you know, done? That your regrets had been resolved and-"

The Golden Wolf suddenly began to growl, cutting Link off, and the teenager froze with his fingers inches away from the hilt of the Hylian sword lying on the ground. Grinning, Link interpreted this to be the same as the last seven times the wolf had growled at him and took the sword in hand and stood at the ready, awaiting the wolf to come at him. The wolf's growls intensified and the beast's hackles stood on end but did not charge at Link like he had in the past. The young man actually took a step back at how menacing and threatening the Golden Wolf sounded.

Frowning in confusion, Link opened his mouth to protest when the beast suddenly quieted and rose to trot the few feet forward until his nose was inches from the pommel of the Master Sword. The wolf's whine might as well have been words in Link's ears for the hero relaxed his pose and slowly slid the Hylian blade back into his sheath. Stepping forward he watched the wolf, which paralleled his movements and stepped back until it returned to its original spot. Each step Link took echoed against the stones, the storm sounding far off from within the Sacred Grove. His boots finally took him before the Pedestal of Time and the youth's blue eyes were fixated on the blade and its otherworldly shine of evil's bane.

His fingers twitched, a sign of his desire to once more grip the hilt of the blade and complete his arm's reach once again, but Link recalled his queen's words. He glanced at the Golden Wolf as if to ask permission and in reply, the wolf snapped its jaws to voice its impatience. Arching his brows a bit, Link looked down at the sword, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips that brightened his eyes with excitement and triumph.

"Okay... if you say so".

Standing firmly before the sword, the young hero placed both his hands on the sword's grip and, holding his breath, heaved the sword from the pedestal. Within seconds the Golden Wolf was on him and Link was surrounded by a bright and blinding light before he fell into darkness.

The young man's breathing echoed around him and Link fluttered his eyelids open before finally finding enough consciousness to look up. In his hand, he firmly held the Master Sword and the young hero couldn't stop the wide smile from his expression. The moment was short lived, however, when he looked up to see the looming body of Hyrule Castle standing over him in the Ghostly Ether. Blinking, Link slowly got to his feet and saw the Golden Wolf sitting before the castle door, its back to Link, and with a howl and a flash of light a figure replaced the wolf. Looking around, nothing seemed out of the ordinary as far as Link knew of the realm where he had previously been taught all of the Hidden Skills from his mentor, the Hero's Shade. At first the teen noticed nothing different about the figure until he turned and faced the green-clad hero.

The Hero's Shade always appeared as a skeletal warrior in damaged and aged armour, with his one remaining eye glowing red but the figure that faced Link now was not the Hero's Shade, or so Link assumed. The warrior was taller than Link by a few inches, wore ornate armour that bore the insignia of the Hylian crest, and held himself with the pride of either royalty or of a prestigious knight. The warrior began to walk towards Link and the Hylian raised his sword, his expression filled with distrust and wariness. Just as Link was about to demand who the knight was, his words stumbled in his throat and his blue eyes went wide when the figure came close enough that his features became clear.

The warrior or knight or whoever he was, looked almost exactly like Link and that was enough for him to drop his guard and take a step back. Their faces were nearly the same except for the jagged scar that dug down the man's right eye and while Link's hair was a light brown, the warrior's hair was a deep blond with his part dividing his bangs down the middle. The knight wore no helmet so his brilliant shade of blond hair shifted freely in a ghostly breeze, but his bangs did little to hide his left eye, which remained the ethereal red that identified him as the Hero's Shade.

"Link".

The warrior's voice sent a chill down Link's spine and he instantly recognized it as the same one who had been calling him from Faron Woods. The knight's was not the same voice as the Hero's Shade deep tone, so the teenager gave the knight an unsure look and shifted the Master Sword in his hand.

A small smile broke through the warrior's stony expression and he glanced down at the Master Sword and whispered, "Hello, old friend," before looking up at Link to say, "Glad you could make it, though I must admit that I was surprised that you took as long as you did to come here. Five months was it?".

"Well, sorry to disappoint you but keeping time has never been one of my strong points," Link replied, his sarcasm evident in his low tone and his eyes were narrowed dangerously.

"No, I expect it would not be". The knight's words seemed to trail and they seemed to hold some hidden meaning for he smiled a bit wider and glanced away for a moment, as if in thought.

"Who are you?" Link had had enough of playing around and glared at the knight, still disturbed that he looked so similar.

"What? Don't you know?" The knight replied with an arch of his brow, to which Link only glared more in response. "I am the one who has passed onto you the teachings of your forbearer, your predecessor, the hero who in another time saved Hyrule from chaos and who you are descended from. I am the Hero's Shade, the Ancient Warrior, and, in a way, you".

"Right… If you're the Hero's Shade, then I'm a rabbit-"

Link's expression went from to annoyance to one that clearly read that he thought the knight had taken one too many blows to the head. He would have said more if the wind hadn't been suddenly knocked out of him. Stumbling backwards onto his backside from the unprovoked attack, he raised the Master Sword only on instinct and managed to meet the knight's downward slice with the metallic ring of the two blades meeting echoing through the stillness of the Ghostly Ether. Link ground his teeth at the sheer force the knight had inflicted with his strike, its strength had sent a painful jolt down his arm, and it required Link to use both hands to keep the knight's blade at bay.

Speaking of which, the Hero's Shade stared down at Link from behind his blade, seemingly unaffected from the strength he was exerting, with an expression of what very much looked like annoyance. Link couldn't help getting the feeling that was similar to how he felt when his father had caught him riding the goats, like he was in trouble.

"Mind your tongue and manners, young hero, for only with respect can a hero wield the Master Sword".

"Oh, yeah? That's funny because I thought that… that you just needed to be the Hero Chosen by the Gods". Link's words were strained and his anger ran thick with defiance and he smirked when he saw the Shade's eye twitch.

"Indeed, you are correct".

Link barely registered what exactly hit him when suddenly pain exploded in his face and he cried out, grimacing. The knight expertly flicked his sword, Link lost his grip, and the Master Sword was flung into the air. Clutching his bleeding nose, the Hylian watched in growing horror when the knight deftly changed hands on his sword to easily catch the Blade of Evil's Bane in his left and... nothing happened. The Master Sword did not reject him but rather, its power continued to sing peacefully, perhaps slightly brighter even, as if excited.

"I can only assume that the Light Spirits failed to mention that the Master Sword has a spirit, thus how it is able to recognize a hero worthy to wield it, but it also has memories and… it remembers me".

Link watched with wide eyes at the Shade spoke tenderly to the shining sword in his hand, as if he was talking to a companion he had not seen in forever and was fearful that if he spoke too loud that the sword would disappear or something. As distracted as Link was with the fact that Hero's Shade could actually hold the sword meant that he only heard a bit of what the knight actually said.

"Who are you?" he asked once again, his tone less demanding more cautious curiosity, though now his question meant so much more.

"As I said already," the knight spoke, looking back at Link from the sword in his hand, "that I go by many names but there once was a time that I went by another, though that time has been forgotten in more ways than one".

"What do you mean by '_forgotten_', exactly?" Link was really starting to get tired of all the riddles.

The Hero's Shade impaled the ground with his regular sword, making Link flinch away, to leave only the Master Sword in his grip. Kneeling down to meet Link's eye level, the knight with his one red eye held the sword across both his palms and said, "Once I was called the Hero of Time, but this was long, long ago and my story has been lost to all except myself and the goddesses. Link, this will be the first and only telling of my story, so please pay attention".

"But-"

"Hey! Listen..."

The knight gave Link a look that demanded silence and once again, the Hylian felt like he was being talked to by his father and furrowed his brow in annoyed obligation while the knight began his story.

"Long ago, in another age of Hyrule, a full decade had yet to pass since the end of the Hyrulean Civil War and I had been a boy living among the Kokiri, a tribe of children with fairies who never aged. Life had been peaceful enough, but then came darkness that threatened the balance of light and dark and a series of events brought me before this very blade. When I withdrew it from its pedestal, I became sealed in a place known as the Sacred Realm for seven years, for while I had been worthy to wield blade, I had neither the age nor strength to be the hero Hyrule needed. It was within the Sacred Realm that the evil king of the Gerudo, Ganondorf, took hold of the Triforce and it divided into three parts with the king taking hold of the Triforce of Power and subsequently conquered the Sacred Realm. For seven years I remained, unaware of the passage of time, until I awoke as an adult with the Master Sword and Ocarina of Time, an instrument able to control time, in my possession. I had become known as the Hero of Time. Under Ganondorf, Hyrule had fallen into ruin and darkness but as the Hero of Time, I was able to defeat the evil king. Ganondorf was sealed away and I retuned the Master Sword to the Pedestal of Time and was sent back to my childhood.

"I sought out the princess of Hyrule and informed her of the threat that was Ganondorf and that the Master Sword could never be removed from its pedestal, thus averting time from repeating itself. However, I still retained all of my memories of travelling through time, of being an adult, and all the experiences I had been through, but I was the only one who recalled that timeline. The only other being that had any knowledge of what had happened in the future left me without explanation and I left Hyrule to try and find her, but I never did. I was the Hero of Time but at the same time, I wasn't, and I became angry and depressed that no one would know what I done for Hyrule. Even if I told anyone, it would not have been the same. So in my anger, I decided to stay away from Hyrule and for years I grew from the land that I had risked my life to save.

"In many ways I still felt like an adult when I had been sent back in time and I saw it as cruel to being forced to live in a child's body. I saw it as a curse to be able grow up naturally even though I had skills people far older then I had. Looking back on it now, I know that I had acted like the child I was by staying away from Hyrule, pouting and nursing a sense of betrayal and hurt. Being a hero, Link, means that you must be ready to lay your life on the line for what is right no matter the cost, because as a hero you have the courage to make the hardest decisions when no one else can. I was blinded to this knowledge until I was well into adulthood and I finally returned to Hyrule. I dedicated myself to becoming a knight to protect my country, her people, and her monarchy. I became famed for my swordsmanship and I died as a man defending the royal family in honour, but also as a man weighed down by regrets. It was these regrets that trapped my soul from passing on after my death. You must understand, Link, that as punishment for not accepting the role I had played as the Hero of Time, for not being grateful of the power the goddesses had bestowed upon me while I had been their hero, and for regretting not being able to pass along my skills or story, I was transformed into the form you have known me until now. Still, the goddesses took mercy upon me and promised that when my successor appeared to once more save Hyrule from the threat of darkness, I would be able to pass along the skills that I had learned as the Hero of Time.

The Hero's Shade, now standing before Link, paused in his story with an expression of distant sadness and age. He reached up to gently touch the scar that had blinded his eyes before saying, "I was a man who placed his desires and needs before the roles of a hero and for that reason, I had lost my courage. Link, you bear the Triforce of Courage, which once I embodied as well. I must advise you to never lose your valour and to bear the mark with pride".

Link, wide-eyed and dumbstruck, blinked at the older man, his nose painless and blood gone. The teen realized that the knight couldn't be much older than twenty-five, thirty at most, which was pretty young, though his story and words held a wisdom that held the weight of millennia. Licking his lips and finally standing up, the teenager puffed out his cheeks and tried to wrap his head around the knight's story but it was a lot to take in. Link tried to imagine what it must feel like or if it happened to him, if one day everyone in Hyrule forgot about his exploits as a hero. He tried to tell himself that he probably could put up with it, that it wouldn't be that difficult, but then he remembered how difficult the last few months had been and also considered the fact that the knight was turned back into a child.

Even though Link was eighteen he knew that he had a lot to learn and as just on the brink of adulthood and the knight being trapped for seven years meant that he would have been around the same age as Link is now when he was the Hero of Time. Link had beaten Ganondorf, but was it the same Ganondorf? What other dangers had the Hero of Time faced? And...

Shaking away the dizzying thoughts from his mind, Link realized with a frown that he couldn't possibly fathom what it must have been like for the knight.

" But…" Link finally said, pausing to furrow his brows and look up at his predecessor with confusion and slight pity, "what are you doing here then? Haven't you been freed from your regrets? Did I do something wrong? Did-"

"Steady there now, Link," the knight said with a small grin, taking his right hand to lay it firmly on the teen's shoulder to calm the youth down. "I ask you not you take worry about me, though I appreciate it nonetheless. I have made my mistakes, as I am sure you will make some in the future, but you cannot linger in the past but you can learn from it. That is what I am, your past, and I am here now to bestow unto you one final lesson to help you in your future".

Gently squeezing the younger man's shoulder, the knight stepped away from Link before tossing the Master Sword at him, which Link caught with ease. Drawing his own sword from the ground, the Hero's Shade took a stance facing his successor.

"It is true that when I passed onto you the last of the Hidden Skills, I was able to ascend into the Realm of Spirits, which is where I myself learned from my own past. I have returned now to face you, Link, Hero Chosen by the Gods, to inform you that by defeating the great evil that threatened Hyrule you have become worthy to inherit a sacred technique that has long since been forgotten by time. Do you feel ready to earn the last and ultimate hidden skill to steel yourself for the forthcoming battles against more powerful foes?"

"I do".

"Very well. The ultimate hidden skill is… The Skyward Strike! Let it be hewn into your mind!"

/ / / / /

Sliding the Master Sword into its sheath on his back, Link was grinning widely and panting heavily. Not only did the Hero's Shade teach him the lost technique, but his mentor also saw to it that Link prove to him all of his skills with advanced swordplay as well. Now, he had learnt the Skyward Strike, a powerful technique that charged the Master Sword so that a powerful wave of sacred energy could be released. The final attack affected the other Hidden Skills Link had learnt, meaning he could charge the Master Sword by pointing it skywards and make his other techniques more effective and deadly. Feeling triumphant and empowered, Link clapped his hands together and looked over at his mentor, ready to dive into questions. He paused though when he saw the other staring up at the grandness of Hyrule Castle as it stood shrouded in the ethereal mists of the Ghostly Ether. Frowning, Link came to stand beside the other and tried to meet the knight's eye but alas, he found himself on the warrior's blindside.

"You have grown into a strong warrior and fine young man, Link. I wanted to tell you how proud I am of you and to… thank you". Turning to face the teenager, the Hero's Shade's expression was gentle and full of pride. Once again he laid his hand on Link's shoulder before continuing to speak, "I have been watching you all your life, waiting for the right moment when your destiny would summon you to become the hero you were born to be. Listen to me Link, since this will be the last time I will be able to speak to you until your join me in the Realm of Spirits, but I wanted to talk to you about your parents".

Link cringed at the mention of his family but he dared not looking away from the knight's eye. Was the knight about to tell him what had happened to them? Did he know? Trying to stay collected and strong, Link ignored that behind his blue eyes he swore that he could feel the prickle of tears.

"Your parents loved you very much and while I can understand that you miss them and want closure for their deaths, take solace with the fact that you knew them at all and be thankful for their love".

Link frowned heavily and then looked away, slightly disappointed, like a child trying to hide his pout. The Hero's Shade only chuckled gently and in a more thoughtful tone said, "I never knew my parents at all, not even what they looked liked or their names. All I know is that my mother loved me enough to risk her life to get me to safety and for that, I am thankful to her". Squeezing Link's shoulder to coax the youth to look back at him, the knight offered a comforting smile and said, "I never had a family of my own and you are only my spiritual successor but, I consider you to be my family not only as my heir, but as a son, and…" he knight paused to chuckle slightly, his eye moving to Link's green tunic that he gently thumbed, "Besides, you fit these clothes better then I ever did, though I do admit that you have some growing up to do so you better eat well".

Choking out a laugh, Link smiled through the tears welling in his eyes as he looked up at the knight, noting that the Hero's Shade certainly did look similar to his father but more resembled Link himself. He also realized that this was indeed the last time he would be able to talk to the knight and now that he had heard his story, learned his identity, Link was sad that this would be the end. On impulse, Link suddenly gripped the knight in a fierce hug, leaning his forehead on the man's armour, and it only took a second for the Hero's Shade to return the embrace.

The Hero of Time looked sorrowfully over the younger man's shoulder and a single tear fell from his red-shaded eye that lifted from his cheek and dissipated into a mist. He would miss the boy, the son he never had. A bright light enveloped them both as Link's own tears began to fall and he squeezed his eyes tightly and pressed his face into his successor's armoured chest.

When the light dissipated, Link was afraid to open his eyes because he was sure that when he did, the Hero's Shade would be gone and that would be that. Taking courage as the Shade had told him, the young man opened his eyes to blink in surprise for once again he stood in the Temple of Time but rather than ruins, the temple was whole and resonated with power. Link had been in the temple's past before so it wasn't seeing the intact building that surprised him, but it was more the fact that it felt different now, more real almost.

"Wha-"

"I told you, Link, that once I was the Hero of Time. So, is it not appropriate that I end my journey where it truly began?"

Link swung around to see the Hero's Shade standing in front of the doorway that lead to the chamber of the Pedestal of Time. "You mean that we're-"

"In the past? Well of course. If you dared to leave the temple rather than see me off, you would find yourself in a very unfamiliar place I'm sure".

Quickly wiping away his tears, Link rushed forward to skid to a stop before his mentor, panic in his face that the Hero's Shade was leaving for good, but he tried to keep on a smile.

"Now there's a hero, to have the courage to smile when it seems the most hard".

The knight then smiled wide and in the moment he strikingly looked like Link and the younger man couldn't help but grin widely back. The Hero's Shade had taught Link more with this final lesson then the young hero could have possibly understood in that moment, but exactly how much he would realize with time. When he saw the knight's smile soften and he began to turn to leave, Link rushed forward to catch his arm.

"Wait, I…" he started, blinking and thinking fast. He had so many questions, so much to say, but he had never been very good at talking, especially not when he was panicking, but-

"Link, you have mastered all of the hidden skills and I taught you all that I know and more but, permit me to bestow one last piece of advice to you". The knight faced him once again, lowering his posture a bit to properly look Link in his eye and he smiled; slowly, his red eye was beginning to change in colour Link noticed.

"Remember what I said about your courage, that you must make the hard decisions for what is right even if they go against your desires. I admit to you that I was in love once though, I hadn't realized it until I was too late," the knight held up a hand when Link began to ask something, the knight's smile softening even more as he sighed, "But as I was forgotten as a hero, she forgot also that I had searched for her and saved her. With time, I dedicated my life to protect her even though I knew she would never, could never... return my affections. My advice to you Link is… If you find love, a love so strong that you would do anything to see her happy even if it meant that you leave her, you may be faced with the decision to tell her or not. While there may be consequences for either choice, know this… I still wish that I could have told her, looking back on it now". Looking up over Link's shoulder, the Hero of Time's gaze softened and he gave the Temple of Time one final sweep before looking back to Link.

The knight winked at his successor and patted his shoulder, though now his eye shined with a shade of pure blue and Link in that moment truly felt a connection between them, almost as if they shared the same spirit, and unbeknownst to him the Triforce on his hand began to glow. The Hero of Time began to step back from Link as a light began to build behind him until it was nearly blinding, forcing Link to lift his left arm to shield his eyes. Just when he could just barely see the Hero's Shade silhouette against the light did Link manage to shout, "But… what is your name?!"

"What? Don't you know?" The Hero of Time repeated his earlier words and he began to laugh, "Link. Go on and do not falter! Farewell, my son."

In a brilliant flash the knight, the Hero of Time, and the Temple of Time disappeared. When Link was finally able to uncover his eyes he found himself in the Sacred Grove once again, alone. The hero's eyes caught the image of the Triforce upon the back of his left hand just before it vanished and he lowered his arm. With the Master Sword upon his back and a heavy heart, Link turned his face towards the sky and allowed the tears on his face be washed away by the falling rain.


	3. Chapter Three: Pledge

The rain was coming down as heavy as the thoughts within the rider's mind. Behind him lay the shelter of Faron Woods and as he rode on, he and his mount were exposed to the growing winds and falling rain. Link urged Epona on through the approaching storm, her hooves splashing through puddles littering the path as her master kept the mare at a swift though steady pace. Squinting against the strengthening wind, Link kept his heading on a northerly route, directed for Castle Town's South Gate and main entrance. If it hadn't been raining like it was, he would have preferred entering the usually bustling town from the West Gate, which is where the stables were located. Shelter was Link's main priority because him riding out in the middle of a vast field during a lightning storm was far from smart. Kicking Epona into a slow gallop, he directed her towards the border of rock that marked the northern edge of the field.

It was Link's own fault that he and his mount were caught out in the storm, for he had taken too long getting out of Faron Woods and the storm had come in quicker than he had anticipated. After his final meeting with the Hero's Shade, Link had just stood there in the Sacred Grove for a good fifteen minutes, letting the falling rain to soak his tunic, while he sorted through his thoughts and tried to collect himself from the surprisingly emotional ordeal. He went over all of what the Hero of Time had told him, his story and his advice, yet Link struggled making sense of most of it. The whole time-travelling and being forgotten about completely suff were difficult concepts to comprehend and the knight's final piece of advice about love had rattled Link. When he finally decided to leave the ruins, the Hylian weighed the Shade's words and tested them to see if they applied to his situation with Ilia.

Technically, he had told her that he loved her, just not to the extent that she seemed to feel for him and if he was truly honest with himself, Link knew that he loved Ilia as a dear friend. Climbing out of the Sacred Grove and making his way down the forested path back towards the Deep Gorge, Link frowned when he recalled the expression of heartache and loss that he had seen on the Hero of Time's face when the knight mentioned of his love that never was meant to be. Walking, Link silently hoped that he would never have to experience that sort of heartache. Actually, if was difficult for the eighteen-year-old to think of any woman that he could get so close to that would understand what he had been through and with whom he could relate with being a hero. Besides Ilia, who else in Hyrule was there? Link didn't want to think himself as choosy or biased or anything but…

"Ugh! Stop thinking about it!" he exclaimed in a huff, shaking his head and picking up his pace. Now was not the time to be thinking of such things.

Link had more important things to think about than love or girls or anything of the sort, like getting back to his horse and getting on the road. Thunder rumbled in the distance just as the hero reached the Deep Gorge and the rain was becoming heavier, and he still had to make his way back through Faron Swamp and the cave. By the time Link finally jogged out from the entrance of the cave, he found Epona restlessly stomping her hooves, shaking her head, and standing beneath a nearby tree to escape the increasing downpour.

"Hey, girl, sorry for being late…" Link muttered, coming up to the mare and greeted her with a kiss to her nose.

Mounting quickly, Link took the reigns and flicked the horse into motion and she took off into an eager trot, obviously wanting to get moving. If he actually thought about it, Link hadn't been gone for that long because, even though he had probably been with the Hero's Shade for a few hours, with their talking and training, being in the Ghostly Ether was different than the real world.

"Like no time passed at all…"

Frowning at his own words and recalling the entire Hero of Time's story, the young man shivered at the realization that their training sessions had always been instantaneous in relation to time in Hyrule. For example, Midna had never said anything to Link about him disappearing, only that he fainted like a girl sometimes but that was it. Even so, he had still dawdled in returning and with a storm on its way and him still not having a clear idea as to where he was headed, Link mentally kicked himself and had no one to blame for becoming soaked but himself.

Castle Town as a destination just sort of seemed the most logical. It was the closest and first place Link thought of as he left Faron Province, hence his current course. Making his way down the trail, walls of rock on either side of him, Link allowed Epona to find her own footing and didn't want to push her too fast incase she slipped in the mud. The silver lining of being caught in the storm was with the rain came fog and haze, which aided in cloaking Link from any monsters from seeing him; though, with how he was feeling, lobbing off a few Bulblin heads might make him feel better. The low cloud cover had blocked his view of Hyrule Castle even when he first had entered Hyrule Field and perhaps that was for the best.

During his final battle against the evil king, Ganondorf, Link had been in the eastern portion of Hyrule Field, upon Epona and with the then Princess Zelda, having being transported there from the castle by Midna for their own safety. He and the princess watched as a grand explosion erupted from the throne room of the castle. When Ganondorf himself appeared following the explosion upon a black steed, Midna had seemingly been defeated and Link thought her dead and the castle completely destroyed. Turns out he was wrong on both accounts: Midna turned out to be fine and was once again her original form, as a rather attractive and tall princess, once Ganondorf was defeated himself, and the castle had remained standing, though had suffered major damages. Link knew that when he had left Hyrule Town five months ago, Princess Zelda had already begun discussions with masons and Gorons to begin construction on the castle but because of the rain, Link wouldn't be able to see their progress until he actually entered the town.

Rounding the last corner, Link was suddenly faced with the grandeur of the main stairs and wall front of Castle Town nestled on the other side of the castle's moat. Nimbly, Link directed his horse up the ramps before dismounting, to lead her across the drawbridge. The two heavyset doors of the South Gate were closed but upon his arrival, a lone soldier appeared and opened a side to allow Link and his horse to quickly enter the town. Nodding his thanks at the man, Link wasted no time to lead his mare down the empty street. The rain and storm had coaxed all of the inhabitants of the town indoors, which meant that Link didn't have to worry about people getting in his way and had a smooth journey to the west end and to the stables.

The stable master happened to see Link approaching and was opening the stable doors in anticipation.

"Good evening, sir! Fine weather we having, eh?"

"Yeah, it's lovely," Link replied with a small smile, indulging in the man's small talk.

"Ah, that's a fine mare you have there. How old would she be? Five?"

"Almost, yeah," Link replied, leading Epona into the stables after the stout man with his large moustache. On his left, Ordon goats bleated leisurely, unaffected by the rain, but Link quickly looked away from them, not wanting such a evident reminded of his village after having just left it.

"Here, ya' be!" the man exclaimed, stopping before an empty stall. Whistling, the man hollowed out a name that Link didn't catch while he led Epona in and after a moment or two, a young stable boy appeared.

"Ervick here will fetch your mare hay and give her a good rub down. How long were you planning on holding up here in town?"

"Ah, just for the night at the moment," Link replied after a second of thought. "But if you could make sure she's well taken care of, I'll pay extra if need".

"Oh, lad, that won't be necessary! I'll make sure that she's be taken care of, don't you worry about that!"

The man chuckled deeply and Link couldn't help but give him a thankful grin; it was nice to see some decent people for a change who didn't start drooling at the thought of some extra rupees. Sure enough, the boy Ervick arrived with a pitchfork full of hay. Link smiled at the boy who started to help him unfasten Epona's saddle.

The man raised a brow as he looked over Link and the Hylian couldn't ignore that the stable master paid extra attention to the Master Sword.

"Sir, if you don't me asking, but what might be your name?"

Link, feeling suddenly on the spot, hesitated in handing over Epona's wet saddle to the boy before clearing his throat to say, "Link. Yours?"

"Ardi," the man replied, blinking upon hearing Link's name, before shaking his head as if to dismiss something.

"Is something the matter?"

"Oh, no. Sorry sir. Just thought for a moment that you were someone else".

Confused, Link just let that one slide and paid the stable master the rupees for the night, handing Ervick a blue one to ensure that Epona was indeed taken care of, before he collected his things from his saddlebags in a sack that he hauled over his shoulder. Thanking Ardi again, Link went towards the door only to pause. Where should he go? He could try the inn but stepping out into the rain, Link found himself following the roads until he descended a couple flights of stairs. The growing sounds of boisterous voices grew louder once the teen stepped from the stairs and headed towards a door, finally becoming sheltered from the rain. He was soaked but, knowing from experience, Link knew that in no time at all his Hero's Clothes would be dry: sometimes magic came in handy.

Adjusting his sack, Link pulled open the door and entered the establishment, met immediately with the sounds of laughter, clinking glass, and music. Closing the door behind him, Link looked around the bar until he set eyes upon a familiar figure and walking forward, he found a stool at the bar and set his sack down in front of his feet.

The bartender, busy with another patron, came over to Link after a couple of seconds and without looking at him at first, she said, "What can I get you…"

Link smiled when the woman trailed to a stop before he jumped when she suddenly shrieked with delight and came around the bar with her arms wide. Slightly terrified, Link leaned away but was unable to escape the woman's strong arms and much to his growing blush, found himself very close to her large bosom as she hugged the breath from him.

"Oh, Link! Honey, honey, it is great to see your handsome face around here again! My, my… if folks around here found out….Mm! It is sure good to see you!"

Finally Telma released him and Link sucked in a breath and coughed, smiling with his face a deep shade of red and while he wanted to ask her what she meant by being '_found_,' he was too preoccupied with catching his breath to ask. Other patrons were glancing in his direction but soon returned to their drinks and behind the bar a man whom Link had never seen before had taken over Telma's orders. Crossing her arms, Telma took her time to look Link over, slightly shaking her head with an expression that Link thought meant that she approved of what she saw. "My, my… What brings a hero like yourself back to Castle Town? The last time I saw your good-looking figure, you were hightailing into the sunset, back to your quiet life as what, a farmer?"

"Rancher actually," Link corrected, fixing his now-dry hat, "But I've decided to not be one".

"I see, a hero 'til the end, hmm?" Telma said with a nod and sly smile, coming around the bar once again and poured an amber coloured, frothy liquid into a mug and set it before him. "There you are, honey! On the house for the Saviour of Hyrule!"

Link smiled shyly at the woman's generosity and flirtatious wink, glancing around in case anyone had heard that because he really didn't want that attention right now. He indeed took the mug and sipped the sweet-tasting mead. Link had yet to actually get drunk, only having in the past a few drinks with Rusl on the odd occasion but he had been too young to actually indulge. The way he was feeling right now, missing Midna and now the Hero's Shade, getting drunk didn't seem that bad of an idea because that's what people did, right? Drink away their sorrows? Licking his lips, Link set down the mug while he asked, "So, Telma, tell me. What's the latest news?"

"Oh, where to begin," Telma said with a sigh, grabbing a rag to wipe out mugs. Taking a moment to think, she looked at him only to smirk. "You've been missing quite the party. I told you months ago that you should've stayed around for the Queen's coronation because I tell ya', honey! It was one hell of a celebration! Packed bar every night for two weeks straight! and you should hear the songs they're singing of your exploits!"

Chuckling, Telma glanced over at the loud party to Link's right while a group of soldiers occupied the back table who were laughing, though not as loud, but still looking as though they were enjoying themselves. "Yes and you should have seen the Princess, the poor thing. All dressed up and as beautiful as any of the goddesses but anyone could see how sad she was and I think it hasn't much improved over the past months. Understandbale, really, because you'd have to be dumb and ignorant to not understand the amount of stress the poor girl must be under".

"What do you mean?" Setting down his mug, Link gave Telma a questioning look, concern evident in his expression.

Link did not know the queen well, only meeting her a few times and the majority of those he had been a wolf. Still, she and him had fought Ganondorf together and the princess had even saved them both, so of course he was concerned.

Telma, raising a brow at him, leaned upon the counter and said in a lower tone, "Ever since you left, the Queen has been busy with various projects: the restoration of the castle, building up her guard, delegations, and probably twenty other things. She's been very active, helping as much as she can, but honey, I have not seen that poor girl smile once in the last year and she used to be such a happy child. I mean we are living in hard times, with so much death and destruction hanging over our heads, but our queen I'm sure must be feeling the brute of it".

Link furrowed his brow a bit lower but didn't say anything, allowing Telma to continue.

Leaning closer, the bar owner looked Link in the eye and said, "How much do you know of the Royal Family, honey, or about the Queen? I know you saved her but do you really know her?"

Link, blinking as to why Telma was acting all mysterious, shrugged and looking down at his mug he said, "Well, I guess I know only as much as any other normal person would. That her mother died around the time I was born eighteen years ago and I had heard about the king's death last year. But, aside from when I was supposed to deliver a sword as tribute to her coronation, I don't know much at all about Queen Zelda".

That was right. The Ordon Sword that Rusl had asked Link to deliver to Hyrule Castle months ago was supposed to be a tribute to the Princess Zelda's coronation, but then the monster's attacked because Twilight has descended upon Hyrule, and everything had changed. The castle had been attacked first, as Zelda herself had once told to Link, and it all had happened only a few days before her coronation.

Telma, nodding, shrugged and returned to cleaning her mugs. "Ah, yes, poor Queen Adelheide, Zelda's mother. I remember that day quite well, the poor little princess. She must have been around two at the time? Yes, and she didn't cry once you know, during the funeral, just watched the entire thing with the saddest expression I have ever seen on a child. No child should ever be that sad but it seems, there have been a lot a sad faces plaguing Hyrule. I mean just look what happened in Kakariko? All those people slaughtered... And the King Arawn was a loving father I tell you, such a strong and handsome man, though to raise the princess on his own must have been hard on him. A child needs a mother, yet the king never remarried. When he died last year, the princess didn't appear publicly for a month after the funeral".

Swirling around the contents of his mug, Link listened quietly before he looked up to see Telma paused in her mug cleaning, lost in thought, before she suddenly shook her head and continued her cleaning. "Why are you telling me this, Telma?" Link asked, breaking the silence.

Telma looked at him with an arched brow, before she set an arm on the counter and the other at her hip, a coy smile playing upon her lips. "Well that is the reason why you're here, right? To see the Queen? I thought you ought to know a thing or two about her before you go and see her, to help you understand her. I suspected that you heard about her recruiting soldiers and that was perhaps why you've changed your mind about farming".

"Ranching".

"Same thing".

Shifting on his stool, Link gave himself a moment by taking a large sip of his mead, swishing the increasingly delicious liquid in his mouth before he swallowed and shook his head. He really hadn't thought about what exactly he was going to do, though it was along the lines of finding something that was heroic and go for that, but the prospect of joining the Queen's guard did hold some interest. But, did he want to be tied down with a profession like that? Link was the Hero Chosen by the Gods, which meant he was special, so shouldn't he be pursing a more… adventurous or courageous path?

Telma must have noticed the uncertainty in his expression before she chuckled and gave him a wink. "Don't worry about it, honey, and take your time. As I see it, a handsome man like you will figure it out because you are meant for greatness, there's no doubt about that. So tell me, how's my sweet, Ilia? You two still cute and all?"

Link's shy smile in gratitude suddenly vanished and he lowered his eyes. "She's... fine," he replied simply, tone hollow and distant, and once again he considered that getting drunk wouldn't be the worst of ideas.

Telma, reading his response correctly, sighed sadly and said,"Ah, a shame but that's how these things go sometimes," she muttered to him. "Thought, I'm sure with your reputation, especially around these parts, you'll have to hold the girls at bay with both hands".

Link glanced up to see the woman's smiling face, understanding and compassion in her eyes, but her tone and words were enough to coax a small smile back into his features. The hero then watched Telma return to tending to her patrons and he was left to nurse his emptying mug.

A guffaw of obnoxious laughter caught the young man's attention and he turned his head to see in his peripheral the group of soldiers, with their armour bearing the Hylian crest. Watching them, Link tried to imagine himself as one of them, donned in metal rather then green and he frowned. Link liked green, he felt natural in his Hero's Clothes, and the magical properties of the garments made up for steel or iron. Then again, he considered the fact that he had never actually tried on armour so he wasn't in the position to judge.

One of the guards, a gentlemen sitting in the corner slightly away from his comrades, caught Link watching them and the youth turned back to his drink. Shifting on his stool, the hero looked down into his mug and watched a few bubbles rupture at the mead's surface and he furrowed his brow in thought. Call Link irresponsible, but before his whole adventure with the Twilight and Midna started he hadn't actually given his future any thought whatsoever, he just sort of had been content with his life in Ordon. Thinking about it now, Link realized that if the monsters had never attacked, thus he was never told of destiny of being the Hero Chosen by the Gods and if Zant and Ganondorf had not brought destruction and the Twilight to Hyrule, his life would have been completely different. He probably would have ended up in a real relationship with Ilia, married, had kids, and lived out his days in quiet comfort. Funny how a person's perspective of things changed because the thought of such a life now almost made Link cringe at the thought and anxious to be back on the move.

A tap upon his shoulder stalled Link's train of thought and shifting in his seat, he blinked to see the same guard who had looked at him earlier standing right behind him. Helmet off, the man looked to be his in his forties, with his chestnut-coloured hair accented with the flourish of grey, his impressive moustache waxed to neatly curl upwards, but this did not seem to muddle the intense seriousness and strength the man held in his facial features, or how his brown eyes held Link in a gaze that commanded his full attention.

"Can I… ah, help you… sir?" Link asked, swallowing the last of his mead but maintaining his relaxed composure.

Not replying immediately, the man considered Link in a manner that made the younger man sit a bit straighter. His buddies had also quieted from their antics and most had switched to watching their moustached comrade address Link, making the hero slightly uncomfortable. Telma and her male assistant had also noticed the change in atmosphere and the woman was looking at Link with a calm though protective air about her.

"Pardon me, lad, but are you the one they call Link?"

"Yes," Link answered with a raise of his brow, his left hand shifting ever so slightly just in case he would need to draw his sword. The guard gave no indication that he noticed Link's hand move but a voice in his head informed Link that the man had and to be cautious.

"I see. In that case," the guard spoke cryptically with a nod before he suddenly suddenly struck his fist to his left breast, causing Link to jump from his stool and grip the Master Sword's hilt. But the guard fell to his right knee and bowed his head. "I am in your debt and owe you my gratitude".

Dumbstruck, Link stood there blinking like an idiot, quietly gasping when the remainder of the guards at the table quickly arose to follow suit and kneel to Link. By this point, the entire bar was looking directly at the young man and it was clearly written in his face that he had no idea what was going on.

Thankfully, Telma came to his side, chuckling quieting with a knowing smile on her lips. Casually draping her arm on his shoulder, the woman leaned over to speak softly in Link ear, "Relax there, honey, but now you see why I thought you were here to see the Queen".

"What?"

The guard stood, his men mirroring him, and looked at Link with the same serious expression, but his intense eyes held respect. "Master Link, allow me to introduce myself and then I shall explain my actions. I am Captain Jerrett, leader of Her Majesty's Royal Guard, and I would like to personally extend my gratitude for saving not only the Queen but also the whole of Hyrule. It is an honour to finally meet you".

Only his blinking disturbed Link's blank expression. Relaxing his grip slowly on his sword, he shifted uncomfortably under the stares of the bar, before glancing up at Telma to silently ask for help.

Shaking her head and grinning, the woman went up to the captain, hands on her hips, and said, "Now, now, Jerrett. I don't think that there's such a need to be so formal, not here at least. Can't you see that you're confusing the boy?"

"I'm not a boy," Link spoke up indignantly, shaking free of his shock.

Jerrett, looking between the two, crossed his arms and raised a brow at Telma. "You know the hero personally, Telma? Why hadn't you said so before".

"I know a man named Larrie too, should I had said that also?"

Link glanced between Telma's strong smirk and Jerrett's mild amusement before he stepped forward to clear the air and have his say. "Captain, I appreciate your, umm… bowing and gratitude and all but it's really not necessary. I did what I had to and would do it again, but I must ask as to how you knew of me?"

Link hadn't gone public really about his exploits and when he had last met with Queen Zelda to receive his honours, it had been in a private audience and he had left Castle Town without fanfare or any grandeur because that's what he had requested. His identity as the '_Saviour of Hyrule_' mainly remained in legendary rumours, so it somewhat surprised him that the captain had been able to recognize him.

"I knew your identity, Master Link, because of the way you're dressed, for the hero who saved us is said to be clad in green bearing a sword with a purple hilt. As well, the Queen had told me of your name", Jerrett replied politely.

Ah, okay, perhaps Link wasn't that surprised that he had been recognized but it still was an odd experience to be called 'Master Link', let alone knelt to!

"Right," Link answered simply, smiling bashfully and feeling rather unlike the courageous hero he probably was reported to be.

Jerrett, sensing the younger man's discomfort, cast a glance to his men who instantly resumed sitting and talking, and soon most of the remainder of the bar did as well, though it was clear that the patrons were still watching. The captain gestured for Link to sit and once the young man did, so too did the man. Telma, still smiling, returned to behind the bar and without asking him, refilled Link's mug and gave Jerrett a shot glass of a brownish liquid.

Downing the shot, Jerrett set down the glass without flinching and looking aside at Link and said, "Forgive me if I might have embarrassed you, Master Link, but I took in consideration your current state and thought that if ever I had a chance to thank you, now would have been the only time".

"What do you mean by that?" Link asked before sipping his mead.

"Your pack, a clear indication that you are on a journey and probably won't be staying in Castle Town for long, which is a shame".

"Sorry but I'm not really one to glorify in fame".

"No, that's not what I meant," Jerrett paused to fully look at Link. "I meant that it would a shame if you left without seeing the Queen. She thinks quite highly of you and these past few months had been… difficult for her if you hadn't already known or heard. It's clear that she's trying to remain as busy as she has been for the good of all Hyrule, but it is plain to see that she is..." Jerrett hesitated to try and find the right word as Link looked on in concern, "troubled. Her Majesty has a lot on her mind for such a young queen and I believe that perhaps seeing you, the Saviour of Hyrule, might lift her spirits".

The tone of the captain's words was low and sad and it was clearly evident to Link that Jerrett cared deeply for his queen and her wellbeing. Link, thinking, wet his lips and was about to ask when the other man beat him to it, "If you are wondering why I care so much, know then that the late King Arawn asked me to watch over his daughter just before he died. I have not seen the Queen smile in over a year, ever since her father's death, and I cannot help but feel that I am failing his final command".

"Well, when you put it like that," Link said slowly, "of course I will meet with the Queen".

As if he had a choice.

Jerrett had placed him in a difficult position and Link was not entirely sure if the captain had done so unintentionally or not. When the man slapped him on the back and thanked him, that small voice at the back of Link's mind whispered that the captain was more cunning and clever than some average soldier and rather than being annoyed, Link was amused. Giving Jerrett a small smile, the Hylian had to admit that thinking about all the times he had either spoken or seen Queen Zelda, he couldn't recall her smiling either. Well, except when her body had been possessed by Ganondorf but that didn't count. Link used to think that her serious and solemn composure was just because she was royalty and when they had met, it had been under a less than pleasant context. Still, hearing Jerrett speak so sadly and with the worried tone of a guardian, Link tried to think with a new perspective on the whole situation.

"I don't know how I can help, though. I mean, I've only actually spoken to Queen Zelda a couple of times because really, we had been too busy fighting Ganondorf or saving one another to chat or whatever," Link admitted, finally pushing away his half-empty mug.

"I think that that is exactly why it would be good if you were to speak with her," Jerrett replied. "Your role as a hero might help remind the Queen that-"

"Captain Jerrett! It is time to head out, sir!"

His own men, who had finished their mugs, interrupted the captain's words and were all standing to await departure. Jerrett, frowning briefly, nodded to the guards before turning back to Link. "Well, if you do intend to speak with Her Majesty, I suggest that you come with us now".

/ / / / /

What a contrast in environments Link had found himself in.

Once the entourage of soldiers left the tavern, a break in the storm ensured that they wouldn't get soaked as they marched towards the central fountain of Castle Town with Link following behind Captain Jerrett. Rather then head north towards Hyrule Castle, the guards instead headed towards one of the finer houses in the town where more guards stood by the front door. As Jerrett explained to Link, with the castle under construction the Queen had taken up residence in one of the houses of the Hylian nobility, much to the family's annoyance to being temporarily evicted from their home. The house now served as a temporary headquarters for meetings of the castle's restoration, peace delegations, and a 24/7 guard ensured the safety of Hyrule's monarch. Since the end of Zant's Invasion of Hyrule and the fall of Ganondorf, tensions have been high and the threat of another attack weighed heavily on everyone's mind. Upon entering the house, Link found himself in such finery and riches unlike he had ever seen, so different from the bar he had just left. Even while he had been in the castle, Link had not seen the amount of exotic rugs, tapestries, silver, and portraits as he did in the home's foyer. Then again, the castle had been ransacked and partly destroyed in places but all the same, Link felt very out of place.

Only Jerrett lead Link upstairs, the other soldiers either remained outside or on the main floor, yet more guards stood posted outside a set of doors which Link could only assume was where Queen Zelda was; having remained silent for most of the journey, he did not ask. The captain nodded to the men and knocked upon the door. When a voice inside bade him enter, Jerrett looked over to Link, nodded, before opening the door and lead Link inside.

"Your Majesty. Master Link has come to gain an audience with you".

Link glanced at Jerrett with a confused expression before his gaze was caught by the figure sitting on the other side of a grand desk on the opposite end of the room. In the midst of writing something, the Queen stopped to look up and Link stood a little straighter when he felt his ruler's eyes on him before they shifted to Jerrett.

"Captain," she said simply and bowing his head, the man stepped from the room and shut the door, leaving Link standing alone in the room with the queen.

Silence enveloped the space and Link was frozen in place, a blush beginning to burn in cheeks as he had no idea what the hell to do or say or why exactly he was there or what he was supposed to do. Zelda on the other hand, sat calmly at her desk, set down her quill, and gracefully stood to approach Link. In a panic, the hero dropped to one knee, head bowed, but a single syllable broke the quiet of the room.

"No".

Confused, Link hesitantly looked up to blink up at the queen who was standing right in front of him and he found himself, like usual, at a loss for words. The monarch wore a simple light blue dress with no jewelry adorning her noble features and her long, brunette hair hung only in a loose braid. She was beautiful, even he could see that jsut like the entire kingdom for Zelda's beauty was renowned by all. As plainly as she was dressed, she still looked stunningly regal with the way she held herself and the air of royalty she resonated.

"What…" Link began, his confusion turned to shock when he saw Zelda shake her head and offer her hand to him.

"You bow to no one," she said and after a few moments of hesitation, Link slowly took her hand and stood.

"But, Your Majesty-"

"And you shall not call me that either. When I first met you I had introduced myself as Zelda and it is by my name I ask you to call me as".

The Queen took his hand in both of hers before looking him in the eye and Link swallowed nervously. With no make-up, jewels, or her crown, the Queen Zelda looked as lovely as he remembered but face-to-face with her now, Link could see for himself the sadness that Captain Jerrett had spoken of. Zelda's flawless features looked distant and weary and her brilliant blue eyes looked tired and troubled.

Link bit his lower lip and the blush in his cheeks deepened from being asked to call his Queen, the Ruler of Hyrule, by her first name; even Link knew that that was a big deal and highly unusual. Zelda stood a couple inches taller than Link and the Hylian knew that she was also a couple years older than him but he might as well as been as tall as a mouse with how shy he was feeling, not knowing what to say in response to her.

Zelda, sensing his discomfort, gently dropped his hand and stepped back, her eyes holding his. "I know that you have not come to Castle Town to see me, Link, though I can understand why Captain Jerrett has convinced you to come here".

"B-but Your Majes- I mean, ah…" Link floundered over his words and stopped completely when Zelda held up her hand.

"It is fine, Link, please there is no need for you to explain. I am aware that the captain is worried about me and while I appreciate his concern, I assure you that I am well".

Link frowned slightly and watched his queen cross the floor to stare out the window where beyond the glass panes, somewhere in the stormy night, Hyrule Castle loomed empty. He was the Hero Chosen by the Gods and had just received advice from his ancient knight predecessor about being courageous, yet Link said nothing out of shyness and confusion but allowed the woman to softly speak.

"The last I saw of you, I promised you anything you might want in gratitude for saving Hyrule and my people, but you had insisted that you needed nothing and to be able to simply return to Ordon. I respected your decision and still do though while you might feel that you deserve no recognition, what you have done for Hyrule is indefinable. You were forced into danger and asked to achieve the arduous task to saving Hyrule, to which you bravely accepted, and so I must apologize to you". Turning from the window, Zelda looked at Link and inclined her head, "for being the one responsible to having to risk his life because of my mistakes".

"Your Majesty, it wasn't like that," Link finally said, his voice and expression torn while his eyes pleading for her to understand.

"Yes, it was, Link. When Zant first attacked Hyrule, I had not been the leader that Hyrule needed, the ruler that my father raised me to be, for I had been too selfish and preoccupied with his death to focus truly on my duty of the protection of Hyrule. Thus, Hyrule was slow to react when evil showed its terrible face. When Zant attacked the castle, I was left with the choice of surrender, but that did not stop so many from being lost: Kakariko Village was massacred, the queen, Rutela, of the Zora was executed, and my cowardice and failure to Hyrule also got you imprisoned".

"But you had to surrender, to save more people from dying!"

"But people had died," Zelda said firmly, looking up at him. "Can you look me in the eye and tell me that the soldiers you have encountered while Zant lived had been brave warriors or terrified men with spears?"

Link opened his mouth to answer but stopped and exhaling, looked away from her and Zelda nodded.

"Hyrulean soldiers fought bravely and valiantly when Zant entered the throne room and I had to stand by and be protected by them, only to watch as they were overcome and slaughtered. I, as the future Queen of Hyrule, was a symbol of the kingdom's courage and strength though when I had given up, I consequently destroyed the morale of my soldiers. Those who you have seen or encountered, many were drafted by Captain Jerrett, who was one of the few who survived Zant's onslaught, and who are mere boys. Inexperienced and newly recruited, they were no match to the monsters of the Twilight. My surrender reflected the failure of the Royal Family, thus I am solely responsible. Peace had become the norm for Hyrule, her soldiers had become complacent with maintaining order without much effort, so even the trained soldiers and knights who defended the throne room and me were too easily overcome by true evil." Wetting her delicate lips, Zelda fell silent for a moment but when she turned to Link, she saw the hero's expression of sorrow and concern. With a sigh, the queen's tone softened. "Since you have left, Link, I have dedicated every waking hour to prove to my people that I will undo what Zant has done but, I cannot bring back those who fought bravely on my behalf only for me to surrender and slander their memory. I have commissioned a monument to commemorate their names, have already begun to rebuild Hyrule's defences and have begun planning to expand Castle Town's walls to encompass more of Hyrule Field, and have also entered into delegations to strengthen our kingdom's relationships. The Zora and the Gorons have already agreed to being our allies, with the Gorons even offering to help rebuild the castle".

Zelda paused and Link furrowed his brow to see her actually frowning in what looked like disgust. "I had not wanted to begin construction on the castle so early and I argued that there were other important matters than a building, but my ministers motioned that the castle was a symbol to all Hyrule and that Hyruleans would see its rebuilding as a sign that Hyrule was prospering". Sighing, Zelda's face fell and she actually slumped into her seat, Link stepping forward a few steps in alarm but stopped when he saw just how strained and stressed Zelda actually was and he couldn't help but fell rather useless and helpless. She looked so tired that Link was afraid she would fall asleep right then and there in her chair. Knitting her slender hands together, Zelda looked down at the paperwork neatly stacked upon her desk evenly and said in a quiet tone, "I've also been in contact with the Gerudo to develop a truce".

"The Gerudo?" Link exclaimed, anger crossing his features as he recalled that the Hero of Time had said that the Ganondorf of his time had been of the Gerudo. "I thought that there were no Gerudo left in Hyrule".

"There weren't, as most of the leaders had been executed before Ganondorf was or were exiled into the lands beyond the Great Desert. However, when word spread that Ganondorf had returned Gerudo have been spotted at the borders of the desert in the past few months and I have sent embassies to try and establish a truce with the tribe".

"But the Gerudo cannot be trusted," Link spoke firmly, his anger burning through his shock and bashfulness and the queen looked at him with what could have been admiration.

"Exactly my point. As I see it, that it is better to keep an enemy close, that way you might better see the knife before it strikes and stop it. Besides, the numbers of the Gerudo are so few now that they pose no real danger".

Zelda's eyes glanced from Link's face to the hilt of the Master Sword and Link, glancing in the direction of the sword, reached up to slowly draw the blade from its sheath. "I know that you advised me to return this to its rightful place, and I did, but I was… told recently that the Master Sword belongs in my possession".

"By whom, may I ask?" The queen inquired, her neat brow arching slightly.

Link, not wanting to lie directly to the queen but not wanting to have to explain the Hero's Shade either, simply said, "A wise friend".

"Ah," was all Zelda said, before her eyes filled with sadness and she raised her left hand to look upon it. "I am envious of your friend, Link. I have in my possession the Triforce of Wisdom and throughout my life I have been noted to being wiser than even my elders. Lately, I have not felt very wise and have begun to question my every judgment, second-guessing what I have done and what I could have done differently".

Before he really knew what he was doing, Link came around and knelt before the queen, using the Master Sword for stability, and when Zelda looked down at him, he said, "You must not regret, Your Majesty. My friend, he told me that it was his regrets in life that ended up being his downfall. He became trapped and was forced to wait a very long time until he could redeem himself to be freed. The Triforce chose me... it chose us, for a purpose and my friend told me to never lose my courage, as I think you should not question your wisdom, and to bear the mark with pride". Wetting his lips with an expression of soft determination, Link stared directly into Zelda's eyes undaunted before he continued, "From what you have told me, Zant gave you no choice but to surrender and as I see it, if you had tried to fight him you would've only gotten yourself killed and all those who fought to protect you would have died in vain".

Zelda's eyes slightly narrowed though not with anger for Link saw the sparkle of tears in the corner of her eyes but he did not stop, with his words forming on their own. "The choices and decisions we make, as a leader or as a hero, will have consequences, but it is who we are and what we stand for that allows us to be able to make to the difficult decisions which others probably could not, even if it is at the cost of our desires or happiness. I believe that you chose right for if you hadn't, you wouldn't have been able to save Midna, without whom I never would have been able to be where I am, and you also saved me! You summoned the Light Arrows and we were able to defeat Ganondorf together. Zelda, if you had chosen differently, the whole of Hyrule would have been lost".

Silence once again filled the room and as Link stared up at the queen, he feared that perhaps he had said too much or crossed some sort of line. Zelda just stared down at him with an intense expression of thoughtfulness and sadness, yet he held his position before he, holding her gaze. Fighting the urge to fidget, an idea popped into Link's head and he was surprised that he had not thought about it earlier. The image of the Hero of Time, standing before Link in his armour, smiling at him with complete belief in him and his abilities, brought courage and steely determination into Link's eyes. Without a moment's hesitation, Link bowed his head to say, "To prove that I truly believe in you, Your Highness, I pledge myself to you, to defend and stand by you with whatever decision you may make, and all of Hyrule, as your loyal knight. It would be an honour if you would accept".

Link waited, head bowed, down on one knee, with the Master Sword shining softly before him and within his heart he knew that he was making the right choice. What he was committing himself to do was what he was meant to do, why he had left Ordon and perhaps even why the Hero's Shade had truly come to him. As a hero, Link was destined to protect Hyrule and becoming a knight in service to the monarchy, like his predecessor had before him, was thus a part of that destiny.

Soft fingertips came to touch Link's cheek to coax him to look up and, slowly, Link did so to meet the queen's blue eyes and to his surprise, her soft smile. "Link," she said softly, a couple of tears flowing down her cheeks, which she wiped away her sleeve. "I thank you for your words. You are a hero of true courage and it would seem that I have much to learn but you are right. I must believe in the Triforce and my role as the bearer of the Triforce of Wisdom. With time, all will be better".

Sitting straight, Zelda looked down at Link, her smile remaining and with a tone of authority she spoke, "As for your pledge to me and Hyrule, I accept, though not as a knight. While you have proven your worthiness for the title more than any other by your valour and courage, tradition prohibits me from bestowing the title of knight here and now. However, I give you my solemn promise that your training to become a knight will begin immediately. Only after you have passed all of the tests required, will I knight you. I hereby declare, as Queen of Hyrule, that you, Link of Ordon and Saviour of Hyrule, are officially a member of my guard and be given the title of Squire. Rise and accept these words by taking my hand as your Queen and you, as my Squire".

Link rose and looking down at her, returned Zelda's smile and calmly took her offered hand. The moment his fingers clasped hers, Link knew that a new chapter of his life had begun with his pursuit for knighthood.


	4. Chapter Four: Lustrum

"Looks like it's going to snow again today…"

While staring up at the grey sky of the early dawn, the cool glass of the window soon fogged up from the man's breath, thus obscuring his view of the white and grey landscape. Cocking his head to the side, he quickly drew a Triforce in the condensation with a quick motion and without lifting his finger to complete the symbol. Stepping back, Link admired his work for a moment until it disappeared. The man grabbed the damp towel he'd just discarded and ruffled his wet hair with the material, his bare chest chilling in the air following his bath. The room itself was warm, heated by the roaring fire in the large hearth that dominated a side of the modestly sized room. Bookshelves, a settee, table, a large wardrobe and a four-poster bed were the other main components of the bedroom but were nothing too extravagant or detailed, just how Link had wanted them to be. Simple tapestries covered most of the exposed stone of the walls to further reduce the winter's chill from perforating the room and thick rugs cushioned Link's bare feet. His bathroom door remained open to help air out any remaining steam and ghostly tendrils of moisture were crawling slowly across the threshold before finally dissipating.

Comfortable being alone in the nude, the hero took his time to dry his hair before he stepped in front of a full-body mirror. Neither was he admiring his nude figure nor succumbing to some sense of vanity, but rather Link turned his torso to be able to see the back of his right shoulder and deem how well a healing cut was doing.

"She's improving fast," he mused quietly with a slight smirk, not referring directly to the wound but rather its source.

The cut was long and thin, from a sword's blade, but thankfully hadn't been very deep when it had occurred, though the sight of blood had been enough to stop any further training from taking place. Sighing and relaxing his posture, Link relented and took a moment to look at his reflection. The muscles of his thighs and legs bulged with strength and hours of training and riding, his abdominal muscles were ridged and defined, tight and hard, and his arms were equally lean and strong, though his left was slightly more muscled due to his left-handedness. By definition, Link wasn't heavily muscled, well toned would be a better description, but there was enough of a noticeable change in his physical appearance that a small smile did creep into his lips. Running a hand over his pectorals, scratching idly, Link gazed over the light trail of hair extending from his bellybutton down to his loins and reaching down to touch the brown hair, a shade darker than the hair on his head, and the man recalled the time of his life when he could turn into a wolf and fur covered his entire body. However, ever since he drew the Master Sword from its pedestal, any remaining darkness dwelling within him had been subdued once again and no longer did he crave to howl or growl. Sometimes he wondered if in fact that was why he had struggled so much back in Ordon and with Ilia and perhaps why he had felt so disconnected with everything.

Shaking his head of the past, not wanting to go down that road of thought today, Link gave his naked figure one last glance over before moving away from the mirror and retrieved some pants and undergarments from his wardrobe. Pulling on the clothes, Link couldn't help but recall one of the last things the Hero of Time had told him before he left, that Link had some growing up to do and, as it turned out, the Hero's Shade had been right. Link was now over five inches taller than what he had been when he had left Ordon and no longer could Sir Faris make fun of his height. He was a full-grown man now and running his hand quickly over his chin, Link felt a patch of stubble that he had missed shaving but had no time to deal with it now. Standing and lacing up his pants, the Hylian went over in his mind what needed to be done for the day, snow or no snow. Winters in Hyrule were short and temperate with actual snow being a rarity, let alone sticking on the ground, but this year seemed to be slighter colder than normal. Usually, winters were cool and rainy with the mountain ranges marking Hyrule's borders trapping much of the cold amongst their peaks and the Great Desert ensured Hyrule remained moderately warm even during the colder months. This year had just been colder and a short autumn had brought the winter winds faster than usual but even so, the snow hadn't caused any major troubles around the country but had transformed the landscape into a realm of mystical whiteness.

When spring arrived in about a month, the season would mark the fifth year since Link pledged himself to Her Majesty, Queen Zelda. From the moment that Link had taken a knee before his queen and became her squire, his life had changed dramatically. That day, he had set out in the morning from Ordon without a destination in mind and by night, Link found himself being invited to live in the very same house as the Queen of Hyrule. At first, Link had tried to politely decline the offer, stating that he could stay in the barracks with the other guardsmen, but the queen would not allow it.

"I appreciate and respect your humility but a figure such as yourself, paired with your deeds, promises you leisure and allowances that if not accepted, I fear that people might question why their Hero is not being better treated. Can you understand my meaning, Link?" Link had understood, or at least tried to, what Queen Zelda meant but he did ask of her that if he did live in the house that he wanted to be treated like a guard and not as a noble.

The Queen promised Link that this would be so and to prove it, as well as to keep her promise that his training to become a knight would begin immediately, Zelda set Link up in a room on the main floor and that his training would begin the following morning under Captain Jerrett. In the span of a day, Link had gone from living in a Ordonian tree house to the finest house in Castle Town, with the queen no less. The house itself belonged to one of the seven noble families of Hyrule and its wealthiest, the Gefion family. The family's patriarch, Euros, had made it clear enough his annoyance of being forced to leave his lavish home and have to take up residence in the town's inn, but was courteous enough to his queen that he referred to the move as "his noble obligation to the Royal Family". Link disliked the man instantly. That first night within the home, Link had just laid awake on a rather soft and luxurious bed in pure disbelief, yet when he finally did fall asleep he found that for the first time in five months he could sleep without waking from nightmares. That in itself ought to be enough to show that what he was doing was what he was supposed to be doing, that becoming a squire and pursuing knighthood was his destiny, his future.

Over the next couple of weeks, Link struggled with being accustomed to living with a royal while adjusting to his training routine. Captain Jerrett's training regiment matched his personality: hard, determined, but softened when Jerrett needed to ensure that Link understood an instruction. The pair trained on the grounds of Hyrule Castle, which was under construction by masons and Gorons. At first, Link was unsettled with being so near to the place where he had battled Ganondorf so when he had first come up to the damaged castle, the young man had almost turned around but was stopped by the captain.

"You cannot change the past and you must not run from it, but you can learn from it and it will make you strong," the captain had told Link in his deep voice, tone serious and stern, yet guiding and Link had to take a second look at the captain because what he said was almost exactly what the Hero of Time had told him. Thus was how their training began. Link easily excelled through the basic forms and swordplay and their sessions quickly gained audiences with the younger guardsmen entranced with watching the Saviour of Hyrule train and display his skills. Rusl had trained Link properly and Jerrett reinforced any basic skills Link needed improving on, while the Hero's Shade had taught him the advanced skills that set Link apart from anyone else in Hyrule. Even so, there was still a lot that the captain was able to teach the hero before he could advance in his instruction. Hours of drilling, perfecting forms, learning standard battle plans, how to defend a castle, and how to be a Hyrulean Soldier filled the Hylian's days. The more Link became involved with the military, the more he became involved with the overall defence of Hyrule.

Queen Zelda also saw to it that she regularly held an audience with Link to discuss Hyrule's defensive future and took his advice very seriously. A few months after Link began his training he asked the queen why she listened to him when there were far more experienced men like Captain Jerrett who knew far more than he did. In response, she told him simply, "True that there may be men more experienced than you are when it comes to advanced military tactics or what to do during a siege and alike. However you, Link, have experienced more than any other man has when it concerns defending Hyrule because you know what true evil looks like and how it may be defeated. Hence, why your word I hold in such high esteem, at least one of the reasons anyway".

Link didn't entirely understand her but the way she said it showed to him how much Zelda trusted his word and counsel and didn't ask any further.

Within six months since becoming a squire, Link graduated past standard training with Jerrett and Zelda enlisted Link to begin training with a true Hyrulean knight, Sir Faris, one of the only knights left in Hyrule following Zant's Invasion. The first time Link was introduced with the knight, who had been recuperating from the Battle of the Throne, as the initial usurping of Zant had become to be known as, the squire had stiffened and gained instant respect for the knight even before the man had said a word to him. Sir Faris, a man of an easy six foot four and built like a Goron was missing his left arm at the shoulder. When the knight saw Link staring, the man did not hesitant to strike the hero so hard that Link had lost unconsciousness. As Link was later told, during the Battle of the Throne one of Zant's Shadow Beasts had gotten hold of the knight in its jaws and when Zelda had surrendered it had kept Faris' arm as a prize, thus leaving the knight to die. Sir Faris was more tenacious and stronger than that and had managed to escape the castle and find refuge in town but was too weak to be any further use. It had taken a year for his wound and strength to heal and return but the knight would not tolerate being treated differently or pitied because of the loss of his arm.

"It is not the arm that wields that sword that defines a knight but his heart! If I catch you looking at my stump again, prepare for another blackened eye, boy," Sir Faris had told Link once he had woken up, and that was their first meeting.

Amputee or not, Link soon learned that Sir Faris was not about to let the simple fact that he was missing a limb slow him down. The knight regarded the queen's request for him to train none other than the Saviour of Hyrule as his own way of proving his loyalty to the crown, to Hyrule, and to redeem his honour for not being able to protect Zelda from Zant. That said, he wasn't about to let Link's reputation and fame dictate that he be treated any differently from any other squire and that Link would need to earn Faris' respect through his training. Where Jerrett had been stern and patient with his training, Sir Faris was loud, determined, harsh, and strict to the point where sweat dripped from Link's face, he was nearly falling over with exhaustion, and he even dislocated his shoulder during a training exercise. The knight had no such time for injuries and instructed for Link to pop his own shoulder back in and continue training.

"Battle has no patience with pain or injury," the knight had said as he watched the young warrior cry out when his shoulder popped back into its socket.

Each night, Link would return to the Zelda and no matter how exhausted he was, he would speak with the queen even if she ordered him to rest. To Link, his training was of high importance but he also insisted that he remain active and involved with Zelda's pursuit for peace and truces across Hyrule, namely with the Gerudo. The tribe of women was cautious and slow to deal with the Hyruleans, though Zelda had at least accomplished with her dignitaries a frail treaty with them and with the help of the Gorons, had reopened the trail from Lake Hylia to the Great Desert for better access for horses and materials. Often, when Link wasn't being bruised and worn down from his training with Faris, the hero would accompany the queen's envoys to visit the Gerudo and help oversee the building of the Gerodo's new fortress. The women visibly were distrusting of the Hyrulean intrusion and aid but even they would acknowledge that the Great Desert was the tribe's homeland and their few numbers meant help was a necessity. The current matriarch of the tribe, a Gerudo named Nabila, confirmed that while they may be warriors, they needed the resources of the Hyruleans and admitted that since their banishment that the tribe's bloodlines were in trouble.

The Gerudo were a tribe made up entirely of women while men were regarded simply as means of procreation. According to rumours, women would '_claim_' a man as theirs and thereby the father of any child that may come from any sexual encounters. Gerudo culture has always been shrouded in mystery and guarded jealously by the women but even from his first few visits to the desert, Link noticed that the youngest Gerudo visible were in their adolescence with no young children present. The only true fact that most Hyruleans did know about Gerudo was that only one male was born to the tribe every century and would be their king until his death and Ganondorf had been the last king. Banishment into the surrounding mountain ranges had been hard on the Gerudo with child bearing decreasing to nearly zero children born a year, thus the main reason why they accepted the treaty with Hyrule.

One particular night, around three months into his training with Faris, Link was having his regular private audience with the queen and by that point, the two had developed a fairly good friendship and Link had become pretty comfortable around the ruler.

"Zelda," he began, wetting his lips to make sure he knew what he was asking,

"Yes, Link?" The queen responded, sitting across from him in her study aside a small fire. Upon her desk were stacks of paperwork waiting to be read or signed but Zelda always set her work aside to be able to focus all her attention on Link, a courtesy that still made the young man blush.

"I was thinking that perhaps after my training with Sir Faris is completed, or even whenever you choose, that I may become a constant presence with the Gerudo so that they may begin to trust me".

"And what do you think this will accomplish?" the queen asked though not with a disapproving tone, but one of pure curiosity.

"I was hoping that perhaps if I gained the favour of the Gerudo, that one day I might be able to train with them. I have seen them duel and…." Pausing, at a loss for words, Link ran a hand through his hair and shrugged at his queen, causing her to smile.

"So what you're saying is that you wish to gain the art of the famed swordplay of the Gerudo?"

"Yes, if I'm even accepted or you if allow for me to try. Their skills are remarkable and if I'm able to learn from them, it'll only improve Hyrule's relationship with the tribe because they'll trust me better".

Zelda sat there smiling at him, in thought, before she tapped the armrest of her chair and slowly nodding, she said, "I must admit, Link, that I had hoped that you would show eagerness with the Gerudo for I too believe that a better relationship with the tribe must be established. What better why to do this than for the Hero of Hyrule to be our ambassador?"

"Ambassador? I, wait. So… you're saying that…?"

"I'm asking, Link, if you will be our official ambassador to the Gerudo and in doing so, perhaps you just may be accepted into their ranks and be taught their skills. What say you?"

Following a moment of confusion, a wide grin spread on Link's face and with a loud clap he exclaimed, "I say yes! Of course!"

Chuckling at his antics, Zelda held up a finger before saying, "Though your training with Sir Faris comes first".

"Obviously," Link admitted with his own chuckle before Zelda changed the subject and inquired how his training was doing.

Following that discussion, Link's life became even more chaotic with his knighthood training, being Hyrule's ambassador to the Gerudo and Queen Zelda's representative, and then also trying to fit meals and sleep into his day. Captain Jerrett had cautioned Link that perhaps he was pursuing too much at one time and that he would quickly wear himself down, but Link wanted to keep busy and to push himself further. Unfortunately, it only took a short amount of time for Sir Faris to begin complaining that Link wasn't performing his best in training and for the Gerudo to take notice at how haggard and rough his appearance was becoming when he met with them.

To Faris, Link only asked to be pushed harder and that the knight would not hear any complaint from him. To Nabila, Link said to her, "I may come tired, bleeding, bruised, or beaten but I will never be too busy to meet with you as promised".

His answers seemed to satisfy and perhaps impress both knight and warrior woman.

With time Link grew accustomed to the hectic and hard lifestyle he had taken on and his skills improved, though the Hylian was not the only person in Hyrule with a full schedule. Queen Zelda had a number of projects that she was overseeing and some of which she often asked for Link's opinion on, hence their frequent discussions. One of the first things that Link saw the Queen have completed that she had commissioned was a monument in memoriam to those who had fallen in the Battle of the Throne and Zant's Invasion, which included those massacred in Kakariko Village and the death of the Zora's queen. The monument itself was a work of art: a grand pyramid of obsidian, ten feet high, to represent the Twilight that had descended upon Hyrule and upon the pyramid was every inhabitant's name engraved in white alabaster. In addition, Zelda had commissioned the creation of a smaller monument in dedication to none other than Midna, Princess of the Twilight, for her involvement in the salvation of Hyrule and her near sacrifice to help protect it from Ganondorf. The reveal of the tribute had brought tears to Link's eyes because it was a sculpture of the complete Fused Shadow, drawn from memory by Zelda herself for the sculptor.

The memorials were well received and it was during their unveiling that Queen Zelda announced that along with the reconstruction of the Castle, work also would begin on the defensive walls that would encompass Hyrule Field from Castle Town's south, west and east gates, ensuring an extra line of defence. In the eastern section of Hyrule Field, a permanent road would be built to connect the path fro Kakariko Village and Death Mountain with Castle Town, promising a secure trade and travel route for inhabitants that would have a constant presence from Hyrulean Soldiers. Zelda continued by announcing the building of a large ranch that would occupy nearly the whole of the eastern field with thick gates begin installed on either end of Eldin Bridge.

Such extensive undertakings that the queen promised would be expensive and the nobility complained as much. In response, Queen Zelda ordered the mandatory tax of the noble houses to give up a percent of their gold and jewels while Zelda herself nearly emptied the Castle's treasury to quell any further arguments. While living in Castle Town, Link had quickly learned that he did not like any of the nobility, whom he considered pompous, snobbish, and dangerously conniving. Link preferred to refrain from conversing with any of them, choosing rather to focus on his own training and duties than indulge in gossip or the flirtations from the noblewomen or the endless inquires from the noblemen. It didn't take long for Link's presence in Castle Town to circulate and before he knew it, the hero found himself to be the most edible bachelor in all of Hyrule. Every noble house wanted him to marry their daughter and even if marriage wasn't on their minds, Link was pretty sure that each woman at least wanted to visit his bed, a thought that both terrified and embarrassed him. Apparently having the Saviour of Hyrule as a son-in-law was a big deal and Link found the politics of it all irritating.

The pursuit of his name and loins only increased when Link finally achieved knighthood.

Under Sir Faris' tutelage Link excelled in his training and just shy of his second year of being a squire, the Hylian had mastered all of the knight's teachings and was told that he was ready to take on his final tests. For days following this announcement, Link continued to train to ensure that he would pass his tests on his first try. Stress was beginning to wear on his mentality and Zelda told him to take a break and take a week to gather himself before he endured the so-called "Knight Examinations". Link agreed and took her advice, taking Epona out and simply traveled around Hyrule, camping out beneath the stars, checking up on the building of the defence walls, and enjoying being out on the move without any duties. Aside from his training and ambassadorial responsibilities, Link hadn't much been able to spend time with his mare, especially given the fact that not long after Link had moved into Castle Town he had found out that Epona was pregnant.

After the pregnancy was realized and upon further investigation, because Link had been furious, it was theorized that when the silver bay mare had been moved from the town's stables to the castle's, she had mistakenly been penned right next to Captain Jerrett's charger and the stallion had made short work with the fence and covered Epona. The captain of the guard had seen that those responsible with the horses were punished while Link struggled with his earlier fear of losing Epona of her being in foal and thus being unable to be his mount. It had been Zelda to pull Link aside and help him see that not only would Epona make a great mother and that any colt she bore would be as legendary as its mother but also with Hyrule entering a new era of peace and rebuilding, a birth would be a fine way to begin.

"You truly are wise, Zelda," Link had said quietly, relenting to her advice upon more reflection that Epona's pregnancy ought not to be perceived as a burden but as a gift of life. Still, it took a good few weeks for Link to get over being annoyed.

When Epona went into labour about eleven months later, Link was present to help with the foaling and even pulled the baby from his mother. The foal was a colt with a black coat like his sire but had inherited his dam's white mane, tail, and feathers. When the queen came out to meet the foal, Link had given her an offer.

"My queen, I mean Zelda… Ah, I appreciate all that you've done for me thus far, I hope that you know that. But you know, when I was fourteen I bought Epona as a filly and trained her myself. I found that there's a certain kind of feeling of achievement and worth from training your own horse and it helped me grow past a few things that were still weighing me down. So now with this colt, I was thinking of giving him to, umm, you actually, if you want him of course".

"Me?"

"Well, yeah," Link said with a shrug, leaning his arms against the temporary fence of the pasture, chin on his arms, as he and the queen watched Epona and her son. "I thought that once that colt's old enough, I could help you train him so he'll become your mount, one you can trust as much as I trust Epona".

Zelda had stared at him for a moment, rousing a blush in Link's cheeks and he pointedly stared forward at the horses, but he glanced at her when he saw her smile in his peripheral. Looking on at the colt, she said, "I'll name him Arion," before she met his gaze, and Link smiled in reply.

Resting his head against Epona's belly, Link opened his eyes and the memory drifted away as he lounged in the grass of Hyrule Field while his mare lay behind him, napping. Zelda had asked him to take a week to prepare mentality for his Knight Examinations and tonight he would be returning to Castle Town. Arion, a yearling now, had begun training with Zelda herself halter-breaking him in and forming a bond with the colt under Link and Jerrett's guidance. Zelda had been around horses all her life but hadn't trained one herself and had taken to Arion and his training as a source of escape from her royal responsibilities. Link didn't blame her, the queen worked almost as hard as he did and the hero admired her dedication to her land and people.

Leaning up for a moment to remove his hat, Link set his head back against Epona, rousing a sleepy nicker from the mare, and the Hylian idly looked over the material of his green cap, thinking. He thought of Zelda, of the Hero of Time, all that Sir Faris had taught him, and a dozen other things. His twentieth birthday was in a week and with his graduation into knighthood, Zelda had promised a grand celebration to commemorate his inauguration into the Hylian Knights, as well as Link formally joining the Royal Guard, and his birthday. Link was horrified by this announcement and Zelda had laughed at his expression much to his chagrin.

Exactly what the Knight Examinations entailed was a mystery until Link actually began them. Normally, squires needed to be at least twenty-one to be ready to be knighted but even Sir Faris admitted that Link's natural skill with the sword, his advanced knowledge of fighting, his keen understanding and experience of being able to handle himself in battle and how fast Link had been able to learn and utilize warfare, siege and military tactics and strategy had impressed the seasoned knight more than once. Link was naturally quiet and when it came to academic stuff, he knew that he wasn't the brightest but give him a mock battle plan or siege strategy and things just made sense and Link was taking command of the room with a strong voice. The Hylian found it easy to visualize the movement of battalions, anticipate possible counter-attacks, and memorizing strategies took minimal effort.

The setting of the sun had ushered Link to saddle up Epona and return to Castle Town, nerves in his stomach, for the next day.

Sir Faris had hinted what the tests for knighthood vaguely once or twice, had eluded hat they would push Link to his limit and test his every skill, and would be the most arduous task he had ever endured, so it was safe to say that the moments before the trial Link was fidgety. The Knight Examinations would take place in Castle Town Square, in front of where everyone could see and how the tests remained a secret Link had no idea but the thought of being in front of all those people was enough for his heart to race. The Hylian sat in the Queen's residence, outside he could hear the roar of the exited crowd, and the comforting weight of the Master Sword and Hylian Shield upon his back was all the young man had to keep him from losing his calm. Finally when Link was called, he took a deep breath, hardened his nerve, stood and stepped outside.

To be met by roaring applause.

The day was sunny, bright and warm, and for a moment Link was stunned by the sharp brightness and the sudden assault of noise in his ears. Stumbling forward in confusion while he followed two of his fellow guardsmen, Link came to a stop when he saw Zelda and Captain Jerrett standing there waiting for him midway up the path which lead to the bridge of the castle . Sir Faris, who stood with his one hand upon his sword, grinned smugly down at Link with an expression that clearly read that he was trying not to laugh. In shock, Link took a wary step back and accidentally bumped into a guardsman, who gently pushed him forward to walk with a small chuckle that thickened the blush in Link's cheeks. As it turned out, there were no final tests, no excruciatingly difficult tasks to complete, except to be knighted and the week Link had taken off was long enough for preparations for the ceremony to be made. Coming before Zelda and Faris, Link's expression clearly showed his annoyance, relief and disbelief while his grin expressed his overwhelmingly sense of astonishment.

"You complete and wonderful sonofabitch of an asshole…" Link chocked out with a chuckle and Faris just laughed heartily with a mischievous look in his eyes.

When the crowd quieted, Zelda addressed her people and had Link draw the Master Sword and knelt. Sir Faris then had him recite the Oath of Chivalry before Zelda had him take his oath and swear himself into knighthood before she touched each of his shoulders with the tip of a ceremonial sword and when he stood with the rise of the roaring crowd, Link was a Knight of Hyrule and would henceforth be known as "Sir Link". His training had taken less than two years and any '_tests_' that he needed to overcome Link done so without knowing, passing them under Sir Faris' watchful eye. The celebration of Link achieving knighthood lasted a full two days, only to be rekindled tenfold on his twentieth birthday and just as she had promised, Zelda publicly accepted him into her Royal Guard and named him, as her knight, the Personal Guard to the Queen. Merriment endured for a full week in Castle Town before life returned to normal and work on the castle, walls and ranch resumed.

Over the next three years, progress continued throughout the land of Hyrule for all of its inhabitants. The Zora saw the marriage of Prince Ralis to his bride, Rupali, and the royal pair was expecting their first child in the upcoming summer. The Gorons were prospering as well, with their constant presence in aiding Hyrule with the construction projects and having also established a healthy trade route for their goods, like minerals and spring water, to sell in Hyrule Market. Kakariko Village had nearly returned to full operation and had once again become a bustling community with Barnes' Bombs expanding from a booming business, no pun intended, and the grand reopening of Elde Inn. The extensive walls surrounding Hyrule Field have been completed and gained the title of _'The Fence,'_ with a width of six feet and a height of twenty feet. Such a feat was due in part with Link himself, whose relationship with the Goron had strengthened over the years since he freed their Goron Patriarch, Darbus, from a curse of the Twilight. Having been fully embraced as a Goron '_brother_', Link has spent many hours with the tribe as a diplomat and friend.

Link's ambassadorial duties with the Gerudo became limited once he became a knight for his true duty was to remain by Zelda's side; however, it was the queen who insisted that he should continue to visit the tribe of women, seeing as how Link still wished to earn enough of the Gerudo's trust in order to train with them. Nabila held a healthy resentment towards the Hyruleans and only tolerated Link's presence for the sake of the treaty. However, his persistence, determination, and strength did impress the woman and steadily she allowed him to begin to spar with some of the women. The Gerudo fought with glaive-like weapons and scimitars, blades Link found difficult to fight against with the Master Sword, mainly due to the Gerudo's famous speed and litheness. The Hylian was more than able to hold his own but he did struggle and needed to work harder to ensure that his calf wasn't slashed or something. The completion of the Gerudo fortress was met with great celebration for it meant that the tribe could begin to rear children once again. That was a topic of unease and Link was well aware that the Gerudo were hoping for a male child who would mark the arrival of a new king while the Hyrulean nobility were wary of another Ganondorf-like figure. Relations were tense to say the least but Link truly believed, and would tell Zelda as much, that the Gerudo would not face another situation that would have them banished and ranks depleted as had happened with Ganondorf, for the tribe's existence depended on it.

"That reminds me, I need to mention to Zelda that Nabila needs more blankets for the babies…"

Pausing with his long shirt pulled halfway down his bare torso, Link frowned and began biting at his lower lip to hurry up because if he wasted anymore time he was going to be late and the Hylian hated being late. Pulling on his chain mail before his green tunic and belt before quickly pulling on his leather boots lined with rabbit fur for the cold and grabbed his gloves. Tugging on his green cap, smothering his wild light brown locks, he headed for the door and grabbed the Master Sword and shield from their places on a table. Slipping the sheathed blade and shield upon his back, Link donned the thick and large, deep crimson cape that hung from his shoulders but draped low from his neck so he could still easily access his sword while remaining warm in the winter's cold. Slipping on the leather gloves snuggly over his gauntlets, the hero made one final take to make sure he was appropriately attired before exiting the room.

Closing his door behind him, Link's boots echoed down the firelight hall and when he met a guard, the knight would dip his head slightly in greeting and be met by a simple, "Sir Link". Even months after having moved into the now reconstructed, reinforced and fortified castle, Link still found it hard to adjust to being waited on and held in such high respect, though most of that came from being knighted on top of his heroism. Still, having servants, personal chefs, butlers and alike was a completely different world than the one Link grew up in so, if he could help it at least, the hero tried to keep his life as simple as possible. The walls were decorated moderately with portraits of royalty, fantastic scenes and tapestries but the man paid none of them any attention. Link's quarters were within the west wing of Hyrule Castle, along with the queen's, which was understandable seeing his position. As Personal Guard to the Queen and her royal knight, it was expected that the Hylian didn't leave Zelda's side so he was obligated to room near hers but Link had made a stand to prefer a smaller and simpler room. Just because he was living in a castle now, didn't mean he needed to surround himself with finery and lavishness, it didn't suit Link. The knight came to a grand staircase and descended quickly down the steps, his cape billowing out behind him, he kept his fast pace once he reached the bottom. Down halls and taking turns, speeding up to a jog in places before finally he came to a set of doors that were opened for him by a pair of guards.

With the door open, the winter's chill greeted Link with a cool kiss upon his cheek and a few drifting snowflakes on his hair. Pulling his cape more around his arms, Link proceeded forward down the path, snow and slush scrunching beneath his boots, towards the castle's stables. The sun had yet to fully breach the tops of the curtain walls and the grey day cast a dim glow across the snow grounds but he crimson-cloaked figure of a hero walked directly towards the firelight of the stables situated in the shadow of the massive walls. Waiting for him was a slim figure clad in a long and elegant, light-blue cloak with the hood drawn up to obscure the person's face; the blue-cloaked figure was standing next to a tall and young black stallion and was stroking the steed's nose. Link jogged up with a smile on his face to slide to a stop before the person.

"Morning! Sorry I'm late, I-"

"Slept in. It's all right, I figured as much so I had Epona saddled for you".

Zelda turned to her knight with a smile on her delicate lips and a fine eyebrow arched in amusement. Link chuckled and shrugged with bashfulness and closed the few feet between them to stand right next to her. Arion, Zelda's mount and Epona's son, paid the hero no attention but continued to nuzzle his mistress affectionately, at least until the clops of approaching hooves announced the arrival of his mother. Epona quickly left behind the stable hand leading her and trotted up to meet Link with a nuzzle of her own before turning to greet her colt. Link and Zelda watched silently the two horses meet before the queen turned to face her knight.

"How is your shoulder today?"

"Oh! Fine, really," Link said, catching her eye and emphasized his words by rolling his wounded shoulder, "You really only grazed it so there's nothing to worry about, like I told you yesterday".

Zelda sighed and slightly rolled his eyes, not wanting to engage in the same conversation the pair have had a dozen or more times already in the past, but the smile tugged at her lips loosened her tongue. "Hero, knight, and Hyrulean Soldier, yet you were bested with the sword by none other than your queen".

"Hey," Link interjected, pointing a finger at her with a grin on his lips, "You only won because for one thing, I'm a great teacher, and another being that I was going easy on you".

"Yes, I am sure," Zelda replied meeting his eye and reaching up to pinch his gloved finger between hers, "Though you will have to try harder than that to change the minds of all the men who saw me win, " before she lightly pulled his finger down and patted his hand.

Link's expression was fighting between continuing their friendly spat, laughing, and competitive annoyance before he simply lifted his chin to look down at the woman, sporting a triumphant and stubborn smile to beam down at her. "Fine. Next time I won't go so easy on you and we'll see how well your training is truly going".

A gentle prod to his stomach deflated Link's bravado and he chuckled, dramatically rubbing where Zelda and poked him. For nearly five years the Hylian had spent with the queen, now completely comfortable calling her by name even in proper settings, and the pair have developed a deep and close friendship. Around Link, Zelda was able to act more playfully, casually, and less formally than what would normally be required from her and in return, Link was able to be himself without having to act like a stern, serious, and honourable knight. Basically, if Link dared to call Zelda "my Lady" or "Your Majesty," she either would glare at him, ignore him, or if the moment called for it, hit him gently to emphasize that really, she did not like being remained that she was queen around him. The majority of Hyrule saw their queen as proper, elegant, graceful and above all wise and while she indeed had all of these fine qualities amongst others, she also was a young woman who had a sense of humour and longed for moments of freedom from her gilded cage of royalty. One such outlet that Zelda often enjoyed to get away from her royal duties was a regular ride with Link around Hyrule Field.

On this fine and snowy morning the queen was adorned in warm knee-high boots, brown riding breeches and a dark blue frock coat beneath her cloak with her arms sheathed in the thick material of a white chemise. Her long brunette hair was hanging off her right shoulder in a thick braid and her fair face remained as beautiful as ever even without any jewels or her ornate crown. Simply put, the monarch looked as stunning as ever and Link knew that he would never hear her complain about the weather or if she got dirty or something, for he was very much aware that the slender woman was much tougher than her appearance revealed. In the snowy landscape, Zelda's blue attire subtly stood out while Link's green and crimson were a dramatic comparison. Letting his eyes admire her presence for a moment too long, the queen looked up at him with a curious look

"Ready?" Link asked, turning to stroke Epona's muzzle.

"You were the one late". Zelda reminded him before she gracefully mounted Arion to look down at him, "Are you?"

Shaking his head with a chuckle, giving her that one, Link also mounted up and gripped Epona's reigns, nudging the mare forward with Zelda falling into his stride. The pair of riders headed out of the palace grounds and crossed the bridge spanning the castle's moat, their horses' hooves echoing on the stone. As they descended into Hyrule Town and passed guards and townspeople, all of whom bowed to their queen respectably. Link couldn't help but wave at a group of children who rushed out to wave and grin up at him in awe before their mother gently scolded them for ignoring the queen entirely. Link only chuckled and glanced over at Zelda, who was smiling kindly to all with a proper seat and posture of decorum. In comparison to such propriety, Link was smiling and laughing like a fool all the way until they came to the West Gate. Upon their arrival, the pair of guards posted at the doors pulled them open before bowing to the queen and Hyrule's hero. Waiting for the doors to fully open, Link kicked Epona forward into a smooth canter with Arion following suit after his mother. The pair of horses made their way over the new stone bridge that had replaced its simple wooden predecessor. Touching solid ground again, Link reigned in Epona to a walk for even in the early morning, Goron and tradesmen occupied the walled trade road that lead to Kakariko Village and in greeting the Goron called out to Link with a hearty "Brother!"

"I thought we could visit Lonna Ranch before heading over the Eldin, then we'll make our around to the West Gate today," Link offered to Zelda while merchants bowed their way past to head into town.

"Wanting to visit Colin are you?" Zelda asked while she was busy adjusting the front of her frock and cloak but her tone knew his intentions.

"Well… I, ah," Link stammered, only ending with a shrug that Zelda may not have even seen but the friends had been together long enough that the woman was well aware of how the knight's head worked and he heard her soft chuckle.

Last summer, Colin had arrived in Castle Town and eventually he was directed to Link who received his old friend in a hearty hug. The boy had grown admirably, gaining a layer of muscle from having taking up Link's old duties are Ordon Ranch but the fifteen-year-old had left his forested home to seek out the Hyrulean capital and his old friend. Through all of the jubilance and catching-up between the two men, Colin admitted a shocker to the knight as to why he had truly journeyed from the safety of Ordon, though it wasn't all that surprising once Link thought about it afterwards. Colin was in love with Beth, another Ordonian, and in order to court her properly the teenager wanted to enlist for a two-year duty with the Hyrulean Soldiers to learn how to fight and save up his wages. He already had a house, his inheritance from Link, he just needed the money to be able to start a life together independent from his parents. To Colin, what better why to achieve this than to ask your old friend and knight of Hyrule to help out? Link had considerable sway understandably with the Hyrulean Soldiers and excitedly set Colin on the right track, even gaining him a position at Lonna Ranch, the brand-new and vastly huge set of stables, buildings, huge pastures and corrals that occupied the eastern and largest portion of Hyrule Field, while being safely surrounded by the Fence. Due to Colin's experience and affiliation with horses, the ranch seemed the best place to send the teen after he had passed basic training.

"I was actually thinking that we could go to Lake Hylia," the queen finally admitted after a moment, looking over at Link and the rider were close enough that their legs nearly touched.

"Well," Link began, glancing up at the sun, "You should've said that while we still were in town, then we would've used the West Gate".

"What? Not up for a longer ride?"

The man blinked and watched his queen leave his side and trot her stallion forward before he grinned and nudged Epona to follow. Soon his mare fell into stride with Zelda's younger steed, which had just reached adulthood but seemed to have inherited his mother's patient temperament while gaining his father's strength. There had been concern from her advisers that Zelda ought to ride a more experienced, more trustworthy mount until the stallion had aged a bit more, but Zelda had politely refused. Having trained the colt herself with the help of Link, Zelda was the only rider Arion would allow, for even Link had a difficult time controlling the charger. Arion was kept near his mother and if or when the younger horse did step out of line, especially with Zelda riding him, Epona has in the past stepped in to discipline her son and maintain an alpha mare composure.

For the next hour or so, Link and Zelda rode in silence as they travelled along the southern edge of the Eastern Field, exited through the gate of the Fence, and continued further south. Once the riders rode out into the wide-open space of field did they slow their mounts to a walk in order to talk comfortably. All around them Hyrule had been saturated of colour and white dominated the mountains, hills, rocks and barren trees. It had been years since the majority of the country had been covered in snow and there was no denying the fact that it was beautiful. The moisture in the air promised more snow, just as Link had assumed that morning and midway through the field did the sky finally gave birth to millions of snowflakes. With little wind to disturb them, the falling snow came down softly in big, fluffy flakes that settled lightly on Link and Zelda's cloaks and their horses' manes.

"Even with such unseasonal cold, beauty persists," Link heard Zelda muse and he smiled in agreement, looking over at her.

"Yeah, it is nice, though all of this snow will make for a wet and difficult spring".

"True," the woman whispered, though her knight caught her subtle sigh as the cold exposed the mists of her breath. "The mud will make planting difficult if we don't get enough heat to dry up the soil".

Frowning, Link furrowed his brow and wet his lips but remained quiet. He disliked seeing Zelda even marginally upset or distraught, preferring the lightness of their friendship, the laughter and the honesty. Being Queen of Hyrule and overseeing numerous projects, citizens, treaties, delegations, the hounding of the nobility, and twenty more other issues meant that there were loads of stressful weight on Zelda's shoulders and as her friend, Link tried his best and hardest to keep her smiling because, that's what friends did. The more Link had gotten to know Zelda, spent time with her and earned her trust, his sense of loyalty had matured over the yeas into a burning dedication that consumed him, ensuring that if any danger dared to threaten her that he, as her knight, her guard and lastly as her friend, would do anything to protect her. Since his knighting, Link had gained the authority to train Zelda himself with the sword to better protect herself and if the wound on his shoulder was any indication, she was a force to reckon with in a sword fight.

Riding closer that his boot brushed hers, Link coaxed Zelda to look at him and meet his smile. His grin ever being infectious, Zelda's lips twitched upwards as her blue eyes met his. A moment of connection passed between them and Link's grin softened a bit, but the moment ended quickly when Zelda kicked Arion's sides to make the stallion bolt forward into an easy canter and forcing Link to chase after her across the white landscape.


End file.
